


Records of Peasant Warriors

by SemaiHeya



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon + Nobunaga no Yabou | Pokemon Conquest, Samurai Warriors
Genre: Adventure, Complete, M/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Original Character-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-10
Updated: 2012-11-25
Packaged: 2017-11-11 21:08:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 51,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/482902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SemaiHeya/pseuds/SemaiHeya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A warrior's Link with his or her Pokemon is a complex thing that begins from something simple. One does not need to be born to a noble and wealthy family in order to bond with Pokemon, become a warrior and change history. An OC-centric Pokemon Conquest fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Way of the Commoner

With voracious flames lapping hungrily at the sky all around them, the priestess and her Golbat fight powerfully. The Black Army has come to take their castle tonight. Her friends may already be dead, but the priestess doesn't care that she may be the last one standing against hundreds of troops. She will die with honor. They may have always been alone on the mountain, independent, with barely any contact with the nearby villages; but the story of her sacrifice will be told and heard all across the land. She will become known as an example of loyalty. And of love, too, even if the pledge of the sect that she belonged to forbids such sentimentality.

Whenever she shouts to her Golbat to attack, she is met with a chorus of "You're just a woman!", "Surrender!", and "Go find somewhere quiet and commit _seppuku_!". The men's voices are promptly silenced. Some, for good.

Her throat has gone completely dry from her yelling out her Pokémon's attack, and from the toxins and soot in the air as her home burns around her. But by now her Golbat does not need orders to know what to do. Which is just as well - it means that she can focus on fending off her opponents with her knife. The leather armors of the Black Army are tough, but she knows where to strike. The neck is always less protected than one would like. And then there are those points where the stitches are weaker, where the leather is thinner, where there are holes that the wearer himself is barely aware of. Her leader - she wonders if he's still alive - has taught her how they're made, and she herself has assembled many for the members of their sect. And now the ashes of her tireless work will be one with those of her brothers. It is just as well.

She herself, however, wears no armor of her own. And when the butt of a spear whacks her spine powerfully, she can only fall. The dirt adds to the blood and soot already covering her face. Such a change from just two nights before, when she had coated her cheeks, eyelids and lips in secretly bought paints and powders, in the hope - fulfilled - to finally seduce her leader.

She supposes someone will cut her head off now. She can no longer hear her Golbat's leathery wings flapping. Surely, if she survived, life would be nothing but torment now.

"No! Don't!"

Who is it that wishes to spare her? Can't this man let her die, now that she has lost all she ever wanted in this life? With her face still in the ground, she waits a moment still, but death doesn't come. So she tries to ignore the pain in her back and tries to lift herself up enough for her knife arm to reach her throat and slice it.

But what is that? Her wrist is suddenly blocked, caught in something solid and freezing cold. Her hand instantly goes numb, and, against her will, her fingers become loose around the grip. Her knife falls to the ground, and her opponent is quick to snatch it away from her.

"You must live."

Said in a quiet, but firm tone, the man's words enrage the priestess even more. She's about to get on her feet and lash at him with all the strength left in her.

But then, everything around her becomes darkness and cold. _Finally_ , she would whisper to herself, if her lips could still move, if her brain could still process thoughts. But she simply no longer _is_.

***

"Wh-what do you mean, I no longer am...?" The young woman's widened eyes blink, confused. At her feet, a feline-like Pokémon with lavender fur, an Espeon, blinks similarly.

"You are no longer one of us, Izumi." The wise head priest in front of her folds his arms over his bony chest. "For five years, you have served our temple faithfully. But now..." He looks at the priests and priestesses standing on either side of him, who all shake their heads in disapproval. "Frankly, none of us know what's gotten into you lately. You will wander away from your work at the temple without a word, only to reappear many hours later, claiming you have just rendered a service to the daimyo. The least you could have done was warn us, when you were about to leave."

"I'm sorryyy..." Izumi pouts. "It's just that everything's always on such short notice, sometimes I don't even-"

"SILENCE! You no longer have any excuse. This time was the last straw. You spent the whole night outside the temple! You didn't even come back to sleep! What are we supposed to think of this, Izumi?"

Izumi tips her head to the side. "That I helped the daimyo set up a huge feast for an important guest? I would have been back to the temple in the morning anyway, it was no big deal..."

"Such a thing has nothing to do with your duty to our temple as a miko!" The head priest yells.

"Uh, I guess? But it has everything to do with me being just a guest here in Fontaine, and wanting to repay the daimyo for his hospitality."

The wise elder lets his arms fall along his sides and shakes his head mournfully. "I suspect you are not telling us the whole story, Izumi. I should have known. A youth like you has ambitions of the materialistic sort... You are too anchored to the floating world, and unfit for spiritual life. Your behavior tells me that your sights are set on entering the court."

"WHAT?!" Izumi yells in alarm. "The _court_? I couldn't care less about the court! I don't understand anything about politics anyway, and, besides, the country of Ransei is at war! There's no way I'll ever want to be involved with that!"

"Exactly. War." The wise elder makes a broad gesture with his arms. "A chaotic soil, where the seeds of your ultimately meaningless ambitions may thrive freely. In that sense, you are no different from Nobunaga, Izumi."

At that, Izumi pouts despondently. She never thought she'd hear someone compare her, a simple woman, to the warmonger Nobunaga. "Why, _thank you_ , sir. That is such a flattering comparison."

"Enough!" The wise elder cuts the air in two with his open palm. "From today on, your services at the temple are no longer needed. If the daimyo, more than us who have given you a room and a bed since your first day in Fontaine, is the one you want to repay for the hospitality you received, far be it from us to stop you. Go serve him, instead!"

"Now you're just trying to guilt-trip me!" Izumi huffs. "It was... the _good_ kind of party, with authorities, and their children, too! Nothing immoral or dubious went on at any time, I swear!"

"That is not the point, Izumi, and you know it very well."

"Maybe? But come on, surely I can be forgiven for something like this...?"

"If you can _ever_ be forgiven, it will happen the day you stop being so arrogant, Izumi. Learn to be more humble." The head priest turns around, showing his back to Izumi, and begins walking away. The priests and priestesses around him do the same. "Do not bother coming inside to pick up your things at the temple. We will leave them outside."

"I'm banned from the temple grounds, too, aren't I?" Izumi asks in a whisper.

"Exactly." The priest doesn't even turn his head back to answer her.

Izumi takes long, deep breaths as she watches the priests walk away. She then sighs and looks down at her Espeon, who listened intently throughout the whole encounter. "Well, it looks like it's just you and me again, Haru. Like the old times, huh."

Now that she is without a home, Izumi's aimless steps, followed by her Espeon's lighter ones, lead her to her favorite place in Fontaine - the port. She has always loved the sea, and the fact that so many people are always crowding near its access for so many different reasons: to do the shopping at the marketplace, to embark on a travel, to fish, to attend a performance by traveling artists, or just to meet friends and talk. Even when things are going badly for her, the joyful bustle of the people of Fontaine is enough to make her smile again. Today is no different; but her worries still linger. Where will she sleep tonight? What will she eat, now that she can't go back to the temple? What will happen in her life now?

She notices that a large crowd has gathered around one of the market stalls. Fresh fish, maybe? Or exceptionally good rice cake? "Let's go check it out, Haru."

Behind the counter stands a tall, gaunt man. His limbs are long and his face pale and sunken, with overly red - perhaps painted - lips. "A few extra meals would do him good..." Izumi whispers to herself. In spite of how thin he is, the seller is dressed with a certain outlandish elegance, in a black kimono with a bright red obi. A few rings of gold and precious gems peek out of his long sleeves as he waves his long-fingered hands around in wide, theatrical gestures to announce his merchandise.

"Come see extraordinary merchandise brought from the other side of the world! I sell weapons! Knives! Women's accessories! My stall just opened today! Be among the first to receive a taste of another continent!"

"Another... continent?" Izumi blinks.

The people around the man's stall blink perplexedly at the odd assortment of items. Sometimes one of the men weighs a knife in his hand, or the women take turns trying on a hairpin. All of them seem somewhat wary, however; many eventually leave, and nobody buys anything. Before long, the crowd disperses enough for Izumi to come directly in front of the counter and better see the merchandise. Of course, she's immediately drawn towards the section devoted to women's accessories. Only a few days ago, one of the older priestesses scolded for wearing flowers in her hair... that is part of Izumi's past now. The young woman now wonders what the older priestess would think of these cloth flowers that never wilt and come in such extravagant colors. Her small fingers brush the silk of a blue rose.

"That one is beautiful, is it not?" Surprisingly, the seller's voice is quiet and gentle when he addresses Izumi. "I think I have a necklace matching it, made with glass beads."

"So you just arrived here?" Izumi asks the man.

The seller nods. "Yes. My name is Raimundo, and I come from the ocean - from the other side of the world from this land."

Izumi takes a polite, deep bow. "Welcome to the country of Fontaine, Lord Raimundo." With a shrill mewl, Izumi's Espeon greets the seller in turn. "My name is Izumi, and this is my Espeon, Haru. We are delighted to meet you."

"Ah, so you have bonded with a Pokémon, too?" Raimundo asks. "It seems to be a very popular practice around here."

It is at that moment that Izumi notices that, while Raimundo's hair is long, lush and so black it almost seems blue, his eyes are as red as blood. Added to his chalky skin and colored lips, they compose a sight akin to a kind of demon. But the demon smiles at Izumi pleasantly, and she knows that there is nothing to fear.

Izumi shrugs her shoulders. "It's not really a _practice_ , it's just something that happens. Haru and I have known each other all our lives, so. There are many Pokémon that live in Fontaine, too! I'm sure you'll find one that will want to bond with you."

Raimundo's smile widens. "Actually, I already have a Pokémon that bonded with me. He keeps watch over my merchandise at night."

"Oh, nice! What Pokémon is it?"

Raimundo gestures to one side of the stall, directing Izumi's attention to something she had initially thought to be a massive stone statue of sorts. Instead, next to Raimundo's stand and standing taller than it is a ferocious-looking Rhydon, its eyes even redder than Raimundo's.

Izumi quickly scoops her Espeon up in her arms and holds it close to her chest. She's never seen a Pokémon that big before! "Ah... ah, I see... I'm sure it can intimidate thieves, all right..."

"Indeed it can." Covering his mouth with a pale hand, Raimundo chuckles to himself.

"So, um." Moving a good distance away from the Rhydon, Izumi inspects the knives, daggers and axes that Raimundo sells. "I thought that merchants from the sea usually brought new, more powerful species of Pokémon with them. I guess that's not the case with you, huh."

Raimundo seems to freeze in his tracks, his eyes widening. But then, he seems to relax, smiling. "My, my, for a young lady, you are pretty up to date when it comes to warfare, aren't you?"

As she weighs one of the simpler knives in her hand, wondering if it will be good for cutting leeks, Izumi shrugs. "It's just something I heard."

"Unfortunately, I do not carry any. Not only do Pokémon not exist in my country, but bringing new species to a land where they do not belong would mean upsetting the delicate balance of the local nature, not to mention cause a great disturbance to the political asset. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I guess?" Izumi answers. "I haven't really thought about that. Like you said, I'm a woman, so things like that are not supposed to concern me. Besides, I don't really like using Pokémon for war."

Raimundo smiles sadly as he arranges several bracelets made with glass beads in a display on the counter. "Nobody does. But defending one's home is a duty to ourselves, to our ancestors and to those who will come after us. Pokémon feel the same way, and so they fight alongside us."

Izumi nods, not really understanding or even listening, and for a while she goes back to examining Raimundo's merchandise. Finally, she musters the courage to ask her question. Her fingers toy nervously with the short hairs of her Espeon. "Lord Raimundo..."

"There is no reason to call me _Lord_!" Raimundo says merrily. "I am merely Raimundo. Tell me, what is the matter?"

"I am a foreigner to Fontaine, too, even though I have lived here five years. But as of half an hour ago, I am without a place to stay. I know that my question will sound wrong, but... I would like to know where you are staying for the night."

"Oh, there is no need to be quite so modest. I am staying at an inn near here. The hosts are very nice."

Izumi lowers her eyes. "An inn... I see... I can't afford that. I no longer have a job, either..."

Raimundo stops working for a moment and blinks, staring at Izumi, perplexity in his demon-like eyes. "You lost your home, and your job? How did that happen?"

"Eh..." Izumi huffs. "It's a long story..." She prepares to tell him all about how the temple took her in on her very first day in Fontaine, how she worked there for five years, doing nothing but cleaning and running errands all day, until the day she started running errands for the daimyo as well...

... When she hears her name being called out. "IZUMI!" She whips around to see the daimyo's messenger running towards her. "There you were!" he says, panting as he finally comes to a stop. "Why weren't you at the temple, as usual?"

Izumi musters all of self-control to answer as calmly as possible. "Because I've been fired."

"Ah." Raimundo comments. "A young priestess... expelled from a temple?" He smirks to himself.

"It's not what you think!" Izumi snaps at Raimundo, angry that he had to receive such an abridged version of the story she was going to recount in full detail. "I wasn't even a _priestess_ proper anyway." Breathing slowly to try to regain composure, Izumi turns to the messenger. "I am sorry. What are the daimyo's orders?"

"It's about the dancer you engaged for last night's feast. The daimyo wants to talk to her, to congratulate her on her performance."

"Just that? All right! I'll get her to the castle soon. Have a nice day!" Izumi shows the messenger a wide, bright smile. The messenger nods and thanks her, before disappearing into the crowd, heading back to the castle of Fontaine. But Izumi's smile is gone when she turns to face Raimundo. "Well, _fuck_." She mutters as she sets her Espeon back on the ground.

Raimundo's red eyes widen. "How unladylike of you! You swear like a sailor!"

"No, really, I don't do that very often at all. But in this case, I had to." She sighs. "I have no idea where that woman lives. She's just a... woman of bad reputation I saw dancing near here, doing a number with her Pokémon. I had been asked to choose the best performers in Fontaine for a feast the daimyo was holding, and I thought she danced very well."

"Did she?" Raimundo asks distractedly.

"Of course!" Izumi answers. "I like to think I have very good taste when it comes to dance. The same goes for music."

"In any case, finding her should not be hard for you, since you have a Psychic type." Raimundo observes.

"Uh?" Izumi looks down at her Espeon, perplexed.

"Just have it scan the surroundings for that woman and her Pokémon. It should be able to sense their presence based on... their aura, or whatever it bases its psychic perception on." Raimundo explains calmly.

Izumi blinks. "I... I am not sure if Haru's psychic powers are strong enough to let him do that. But I am surprised you are so Pokémon-savvy, Raimundo! Are you sure you are new around these parts?"

In all response to Izumi's question, Raimundo smiles. "Good luck, Izumi."

Izumi smiles and waves to the merchant. "Thanks! You have a good day."

Izumi and Haru begin their search by checking the spot where they first met the dancer just the day before. Unsurprisingly, the area where so many lonely sailors gathered to witness her sensuous dance is now completely empty. Where does a woman like that disappear to, Izumi wonders? While that is not something she would normally like to find out, things look as though she will have to.

"So, um..." Izumi doesn't really know where to go, and her steps are slow and aimless again. She looks down, at the Espeon walking by her side. "Do you think you can do what Raimundo said? Using your psychic powers to scan all of Fontaine for that woman? You remember, her, right? Moku was her name, if I'm not mistaken..."

Haru replies in his Pokémon language, and Izumi's knowledge of it is enough for her to understand that the Pokémon doesn't know if he can do it, but he'll try.

"Alright, then. Do you need anything special?"

The Espeon nods at the bustling crowds around them. Implying he won't be able to concentrate if there is that much noise in his surroundings.

"Of course! Let's go somewhere more quiet."

They walk along the beautiful shore, their steps leading them away from the port. Soon, they leave the ships and fishing boats behind them. All around them is now the sound of the waves, and the voices of small Water Pokémon as they play in the sand and by the water's edge.

"Is here okay, Haru? How do you feel?"

Haru nods in assent.

"Alright, then! Do your thing!" Izumi sits on the sand a good distance from her Pokémon. "I know I'm not as good as you are, but I'll meditate with you, too."

Both Izumi and Haru, the Espeon, close their eyes at the same time. Izumi empties her mind and hopes that all goes well in Haru's search. Meanwhile, Haru focuses and expands his mind. Invisible, undetectable waves from the Pokémon's superior brain scan the entire peninsula of Fontaine, in search of the mysterious dancer and her Pokémon. The minutes pass, but Izumi's faith in her partner does not waver. Right now, all they truly have is each other. The sound of the waves, endlessly repeating, yet each time different, ensures that the union of their spirits is complete.

It is very late that Izumi realizes that there's another sound accompanying that of the ocean. The vibrating, soulful notes of a shamisen.

Izumi's eyes snap open. "Lord Motochika..."

***

The presence of Lord Motochika Chousokabe is one that Izumi has always found fearsome and reassuring at the same time. His style of dress is an unusual one, meant to draw attention, a symphony of black leather, blue cloth, fur, chains and studs, revealing a good portion of a broad, well-toned chest covered in mysterious blue markings. The daimyo's hairstyle is eccentric, too: while the front locks, some of them covering his left eye, have a silvery hue, the rest, fairly longer, is as black as the sea at night.

Besides his appearance, there's something else about Motochika that Izumi has mixed feelings about - the fact that he's extremely perceptive. As Izumi learned very early in their... she supposes it can be called friendship, Motochika is not a person one can easily lie to. Or keep something from.

"You have yet to find her, then." is the daimyo's first remark as he approaches the pair of young lady and Pokémon.

All Izumi can do in response is stand, then bow and nod her head.

"It is because of her profession, is it not? You likely met her at the port while she was performing, and now you cannot even imagine where you should look for her."

Izumi raises her head, eyes widened in shock. She had introduced Moku as a dancer of renowned fame... but Motochika knew the truth all along, didn't he? "Yes, my Lord. I-in my defense, before meeting her, I was not even aware that that sort of person existed in Fontaine. She is a..." words fail her then.

"Say it." Before she lowers her head again, Izumi keeps her eyes on her lord long enough to see him smirk. A challenge.

Izumi blushes. "A promiscuous woman, my Lord."

Izumi raises her gaze long enough to see that the daimyo's smirk lingers. "It figures that a priestess would not know where to look for such a woman."

"I am no longer a miko, my Lord."

"So I heard." Motochika strums a note on his shamisen, certain that it will be enough to get Izumi to look at him directly. He is not wrong. "Listen, Izumi. A life of purity, meditation and distance from sin, such as the one you've lived until now... That is not what the real world is like. You must realize that even that which is different from you must be understood, and respected for what it is."

Izumi bites her lip uncomfortably. "What are you getting at, my Lord?"

"Open your mind to Moku's world. I would hate it if your experience of life remained as shallow as it is now." Motochika turns around and begins walking away. "I must return to my guest now. Join me at the castle when you are done."

"Yes, my lord." Izumi bows again, her eyes closed as she ponders what her daimyo has just said to her.

As Motochika disappears towards the West of Fontaine, so does the sun, sinking closer and closer to the horizon.

"We must hurry." Izumi says to her Espeon. "It will be night before long. Were you able to find anything, Moku?"

The Espeon is still sitting motionlessly, with his eyes closed. He doesn't answer Izumi right away, at which she expects to receive a negative answer.

But suddenly, the Espeon's eyes snap open. Instead of their usual deep purple color, they are now glowing with blue light. The Espeon shifts, tilting his head to point in a very precise direction.

"You've found her!" Izumi exclaims, almost jumping on the spot. "Lead the way, then!"

Haru starts running so fast that it's impossible to see his small, slender paws touch the ground. The psychic tracks he has detected lead him back in the direction of the crowded port. Izumi follows her Pokémon, running in turn, fear and excitement dueling in her heart. She knows that her Lord Motochika is right: the worst part of Fontaine, where Izumi has never wanted to go before, is like the darkest part of her own soul. If she doesn't learn about the world, she realizes, she will never learn anything about herself, either.

***

"Come on, beautiful! Won't you dance for me?"

Generally, Moku will accept to dance for anyone who asks. Sailors, soldiers, merchants, fathers, youths, sometimes even women - as long as they pay, afterwards or in advance, there really is no difference.

There's a problem with this specific soldier, however. On the armor he's wearing even now, capturing the attention of every person in the house, is a crest that Moku recognizes.

"Sure, I was just looking at your armor. You can't possibly wear it in here without expecting to become the center of attention, after all. Whose crest is that? What family?"

The soldier laughs loudly. "Don't you recognize it? By Arceus, you've lived in this isolated place all your life, haven't you, baby?"

In all response, Moku puts on a dumb smile. Ah, if only he knew...

The soldier proudly points at his arm guards. "This painted here is the crest of the Akechi of Nixtorm, the Ice Country. That's who my family has been serving for generations. I'm here as an escort to my Lord Mitsuhide and his daughter, who are staying here for a few days, as Lord Motochika's guests."

Moku's eyes widen. So _that_ is who the celebration where she performed yesterday was for. She inwardly scolds herself. Why didn't she ask who the important guests were? She should have known better! "But... I am quite sure that that crest belongs to an ally of Nobunaga. Has Nixtorm sided with him?"

In a graceless movement, the soldier bends his huge body forward, and nearly sputters his mouthful of sake. "For a pretty girl, you sure are into politics, huh?"

Upon noticing that the man that Moku is supposed to entertain evidently isn't pleased with her, an older woman shoots Moku a venomous sidelong glare. Moku pays it no mind. The matter they are discussing is more important. "Well, are the Akechi Nobunaga's allies or not?"

The soldier shrugs. "Whether they are or aren't is Lord Mitsuhide's decision, and none of my business. It doesn't matter much to me - I will keep serving the Akechi either way. That's what I swore, and what my ancestors swore before me."

Moku huffs, her patience quickly wearing thin. "That's not what I wanted to know. I asked if they have sided with the Black Army. As one of their soldiers, you can't possibly not know the answer to that question."

" _Sided_ with the Black Army?!" The soldier repeats that sentence loud enough for his companion and their respective Pokémon - a Sealeo and a Prinplup - to hear. Once their gazes meet over those words, their simultaneous peals of laughter fill the entire room. "Baby, we of Nixtorm _are_ the best troops in the Black Army! Our Ice types balance out the weakness of their Dragon types."

Moku's smile is as fake as the violet hue of her lips as she stands. "I see. That's nice to hear! Good for you. I think I should go now."

"Wait! Our dance, remember?" The soldier calls out, a large arm reaching out to grab her. But her Crobat comes to the rescue, using one of her wings to swat the man's arm away, and Moku is able to escape.

By now, obviously, the older woman supervising Moku is horrified and angry. Again, Moku doesn't care. "I'm sure you'll find another girl willing to dance for you. Now, if you'll excuse me-"

Suddenly, a rather disheveled young woman bursts into the room, accompanied by her Espeon. The woman's frizzled hair, conservative clothes and bland face, with no makeup to embellish it, are all clear indications that this is not the kind of place she belongs in. "MOKU! IS MOKU HERE?" she shouts to the assembly of women and their clientele.

"See?" Moku tells the soldier, still wearing that fake smile. "There's someone else requesting me."

The soldier's shocked cry of " _Another woman?!_ " is ignored, as Moku, with her Crobat in tow, storms off to meet the newcomer.

"Why are you here?" Moku whispers behind her teeth, so that the older woman, who is still watching her, won't be able to read her lips.

"My Lord wants to see you!" Izumi says simply. She peeks from behind Moku's tall body, a little jittery - the dark house scares her, and it's clear she wants to get out of there as soon as possible.

Moku sighs. "Alright, let's go."

Once Moku and Crobat walk out of the odd building into the fresh evening air, Izumi and her Espeon follow her gratefully. "Y-you w-were with a... a _client_ , weren't you? I-I'm sorry..."

"Stop stammering!" Moku snaps. "It's annoying as hell. And yeah, I was with someone, but he was a jerk. I was going to turn him down anyway. So it's all good."

At that, Izumi turns towards Moku, eyes wide with curiosity. "Oh, you can turn down clients?"

Moku furrows her brow and raises her voice, angered by the question. "What kind of question is that?! Of course I can, if I don't like them!"

"I'm sorry..." Izumi lowers her head apologetically. "I guess I don't know much about what a woman like you does..."

Moku stops in her tracks and stomps her foot on the ground. " _A woman like me_? What's 'a woman like me'?"

Surprised, Izumi stops in turn, and turns to face Moku. "A... "

"You don't need to say it." Moku cuts her short. "Just stop assuming that the way people decide to make a living determines what they're like."

"That's not what I was saying at all..." Izumi replies in a meek tone.

"You implied it, though." Moku huffs. "There's so much more to me than _this_. I can dance, I can cook, I can weave, I can sew, I can fight, I can grow my own food, I can make incense, armor pieces, shoes... So don't come telling me who I am and who I am not." Moku resumes walking, holding her head high as she indignantly steps past Izumi.

By contrast, Izumi seems surprised and excited, as she skips forward to catch up with Moku. "Fighting? Armor pieces? I didn't know you had so many skills, Moku!"

Another impatient huff. "More like, you didn't even think that 'a woman like me' could have them."

"Yeah, that." Izumi admits with a nod. "Maybe the daimyo knows, though! The daimyo always knows everything! Maybe that's why he wants to hire you."

"Or maybe he just needs me and Crobat to perform for his guests again." Moku sighs.

"Maybe."

There's a long pause as the two women keep walking towards the castle, their Pokémon following them. It's Izumi who breaks the silence. "I don't have any special skills like yours. All I'm good for is ordering Haru around, running errands and cleaning. And I was just fired from the temple, so. If I had skills like yours, I'd be good. But I don't, and so I really don't know what I'm going to do now."

"Fired from the temple? What did you do?"

Izumi averts Moku's gaze, afraid that she will see her smirk mischievously like Raimundo did earlier. "Just... when I organized the entertainment for last night's feast, the head priest thought that that was one too many things I was doing for the daimyo."

Moku shrugs. "Isn't it better this way, though? Since you already have close ties with the court, you can ask if you can work there."

"I don't want to be part of the court!" Izumi insists. "My origins are humble. And I don't really care about politics, or war."

Moku rolls her eyes. "Why would your origins matter anything? And, wake up. In these troubled times, _everything_ is about politics and war. It wouldn't hurt you to get involved. And even aside from that, just because you don't have any 'special skills', as you call them, it's never too late to get to work and learn them."

"Mm. You're right." Izumi attempts to smile gratefully at Moku. But Moku isn't looking at her, her slanted, violet eyes absorbed in mysterious thoughts. By now, the castle is in sight, and they're only a few steps away from the gate. "I like you, Moku." Izumi says cheerfully. "Let's be friends!"

As the gate opens to allow their passage, Moku shakes her head, not even looking at the shorter woman. "If you keep being so prejudiced towards others and yourself, I don't think I can be your friend."

"You're mean!" Izumi huffs in retort as they walk past the gate, which soon closes behind them.

***

Izumi doesn't understand why she was told to wait on the castle grounds, instead of being dismissed. Then again, she can't really say she's in a hurry to go back home, since she doesn't have a home to return to now.

They sit on the grass in the gardens around the castle, by a gently murmuring stream. There is still light, but the sky is a much darker shade of blue now. Before long, all will be covered in darkness, and Izumi and Haru still have no idea where to spend the night. At least they were able to have something to eat - the kitchens gave them a free bowl of rice each, grateful for all the times Izumi and Haru bought fish for them at the market.

"We could just sleep here on the grass... We would do it all the time back home, in the summer, remember?"

The Espeon nods with a gentle smile, happily mewing and swishing his slender, forked tail as peaceful memories flow back into his mind.

"Things were so much simpler back then!" Izumi sighs happily, lying down on the grass and spreading her arms and legs. "Sure, Lord Kenshin was always fighting with his neighbors, Lords Shingen and Ujiyasu, and the farmers with land near the borders had to be really careful all the time. But at least it's not like all of Ransei was at war, like it is now..."

As she talks, Izumi feels her eyelids become heavier, and her thoughts blurrier. She relaxes her whole body against the fresh softness of the grass, and before long, she's sound asleep.

The sight of a dark sky dotted with stars greets Izumi's eyes, when they open again thanks to a slow melody from a shamisen.

"Lord Motochika!" Izumi sits up suddenly to find her Lord standing near her.

"Do you intend to sleep in my garden tonight?" The daimyo's tone is one of mild amusement, not reproach.

"There was no need for you to come here! You could have had someone call for me!" Izumi's hands restlessly smooth the folds on her kimono, a sign that she is really flustered now.

"That is what I did. You did not answer."

Izumi covers her mouth, and she feels her cheeks redden. "I... I'm really sorry, my Lord."

"There is no need for you to be. Now, come inside."

Izumi nods and stands and, with her Espeon in tow, as always, she follows Motochika back inside the castle. The path they follow along the corridors is somewhat familiar to Izumi, but it's not any of her usual routes inside the castle. "Where are we going, my Lord?"

"To the main room, where the court has gathered for an audience."

"Oh, okay. Wait... an audience? At this time of the night? And I'm allowed to see it?" Motochika's steps are fast, and Izumi is struggling to keep up with him. She stops paying attention to her surroundings long enough to neglect noticing that the corridor ends in a single, large shoji door. They are approaching the main room. 

"I am about to nominate a new warrior." Motochika declares, as two servants slide the door open.

Izumi peeks inside, past Motochika. She instantly has to repress a " _Whoa_ ". The room is really big, adorned with golden statues of Water-type Pokémon, and all of Fontaine's court is there, sitting in two orderly, parallel files that allow Motochika's passage between them. All the nobles turn to face them. On the other side of the room, among the people ending the rows close to the platform where Motochika will take his seat, Izumi recognizes Chikayasu - Motochika's younger brother -, Nobuchika and Morichika - Motochika's two sons, the first of whom is the older. Sitting next to each other are also Lord Mitsuhide of Nixtorm and his daughter Gracia, the daimyo's current guests whose arrival was celebrated the night before. Izumi also recognizes Chikamasa, a skilled warrior of renown and Motochika's retainer.

Izumi blinks, absolutely impressed by the scene in front of her. "So... sake or tea? Which do you want me to serve them?" She asks humbly.

Izumi's question reverberates across the room. A moment later, it is met with stifled giggling, which soon erupts into collective laughter involving all those present.

The young woman does not understand, and simply stands near the door, holding her head low. Why are they laughing at her...? Did she do something wrong? Her Espeon brushes against her legs, in an attempt to reassure her.

Meanwhile, Motochika wears a rather smug smile as he makes his way across the room with slow, solemn steps. He takes his seat before all the nobles present. "Don't play coy, Izumi. I am sure you have figured it out by now. _You_ are the new warrior we are welcoming into the court."

"A warrior? ... Me? In the _court_?!" Izumi repeats, shocked and utterly confused, her hands pointing frantically at herself. But then she notices that the room has suddenly gone oddly quiet. She lowers her head, before she can see the nobles staring at her. "I mean... not that I think it's a bad thing, or anything. Actually, I'm honored! Yeah, it's an honor. I mean, it's not every day that a fired miko becomes a member of a daimyo's court. In... less than one day, I might add. But, if I may ask... why me?"

Motochika does not answer immediately, instead gesturing for Izumi to come closer. Izumi does so gingerly, blushing and staring at her feet as she takes step after step towards the platform where Motochika sits, wondering if her pace is measured enough. What will the nobles think of her as they see her walk? Is she walking too fast, does she seem too eager to receive the title? Or is she walking too slowly, as if she were afraid to face her duty? Of course, her Espeon is by her side, too, and he smiles up at her. Izumi returns her partner's smile. They are together in this.

Izumi kneels before Motochika, while Haru sits beside her. Izumi looks at Motochika expectantly.

What comes from Motochika is a small, playful smirk. "Why _not_ you?"

Izumi is left stunned and bewildered as everybody around her cheers.

"You have always served my court well, and I trust you will continue to do so." Motochika explains, his eyes closing as he talks. "It is done, then. Dismissed."

Obviously, that last order refers to the assembly as a whole, and not just to Izumi. From his position near the platform, Chikayasu speaks up. "Brother! You cannot dismiss us now! There are formulas and rites to follow in order to swear in the new warrior!"

Motochika opens his eyes to answer. "I know. But they are useless in Izumi's case. She already formed a strong bond with a Pokémon, which is the necessary condition in order to receive the title of warrior, and her worth and loyalty are already proven."

Chikayasu nods meekly, but he's far from being embittered - instead, on his face is an expression of admiration; he's clearly impressed at how his older brother nonchalantly defies convention.

"Yet, you are right, brother. There is one thing she must promise me." Motochika bends his seated body forwards and leans in, his gray eyes looking straight into Izumi's brown eyes, as if to sound the depths of her soul.

Izumi remains quiet. There is fear in her eyes, but she does not shy away from Motochika's forceful stare.

"In order to serve me, you must have faith in yourself and in your abilities. Your confidence must not waver." He retreats to sit straight again, yet his gaze remains firmly on her. "Understood?"

"Yes, my Lord." Izumi replies as she bows her head, in a tone that everybody can hear.

"Excellent." Smiling, Motochika stands and addresses the whole assembly. " _Now_ you are dismissed. I wish all of you a good night."

It takes a moment for Izumi to register that the order refers to herself as well. Motochika's words have etched themselves into her mind. Indeed, she has always had a confidence problem. She has always doubted herself. She has always doubted that she will be able to make it, and build a life of happiness for herself and for those she cares about in a troubled, warn-torn land. She looks at Haru. Surely she would not be here now if her lack of confidence had spread to her Pokémon while they were looking for Moku... Maybe, she thinks, if she learns from her Pokémon, who always trusts her more than she trusts herself, she will have a chance.

The Espeon smiles and mews happily at Izumi, who rewards him with a hug. "Thank you, Haru! I wouldn't be here without you!"

But when Izumi finally notices her surroundings, she notices that everybody is gone except for Lord Motochika, Lord Mitsuhide and Lady Gracia, who are now standing close to each other in the center of the room. They talk quietly among themselves and sometimes turn to look at Izumi, as if expecting her to leave.

She stands immediately. "Oh! I'm sorry! I... I did not realize...!" She lets out an embarrassed laugh. "We're off to a good start, huh? I'm sorry..."

Motochika simply nods and smiles as a blushing Izumi, her Espeon in tow, runs across the room and out the door.

The servants close the shoji door behind her.

"So, what now?" Izumi asks her Espeon in a sigh, her mind still busy registering everything that just happened.

"Your personal effects have already been retreived from the temple and taken to your new room in the castle, Izumi." One of the servants who just closed the door answers.

"Oh." Izumi blinks, her gaze darting restlessly from one servant to another. "You did that for me? You guys are _that_ efficient?"

"Yeah, we helped out." The servant smiles. "Welcome to the court of the Chosokabe, Izumi."

Izumi blushes again, gratefully. "Thank you..."

After thanking the servants repeatedly and wished them goodnight, Izumi proceeds to follow the directions to her room that she received, walking along the dark corridors. Most of the light comes from the full moon outside, painting the sky a lighter shade of blue around herself.

Once in the designated room, Izumi lights a candle to reveal the interior. It's a small room on the ground floor, in the wing where the servants sleep, fit for one tatami bed and little else. But even that is a luxury that Izumi has never known before.

"We have a room all to ourselves?! This is incredible, Haru! I think we're going to love it here."

Excited, Izumi skips to the window and looks out. She's not expecting a striking panorama, since they're on the ground floor; still, the view over the castle gardens is a pleasant one, made of lush meadows in whose tall grass lie blissfully sleeping Pokémon, and fresh streams running gently as they sing their quiet song.

And, standing on the grass only a few steps from Izumi's window, with his back to it, is... Raimundo?

"Raimundo!" Izumi calls out and waves to him.

The foreign merchant turns, and his thin face softens into a smile when he recognizes Izumi. "Good evening, Izumi! What are you doing there?"

"Well, it looks as though I'm going to be working here full time from now on, so they gave me a room here. What are _you_ doing there?" Izumi laughs cheerfully.

Raimundo's beaming smile widens as he steps closer to the window. "My sincerest congratulations, Izumi. It seems the daimyo is happy with your services, after all."

Izumi bows her head humbly in response.

"As for myself, I was merely taking a walk around the castle grounds. It is such a beautiful night, tonight. A full moon, ocean and sky blending together in equal silver-dotted darkness, countless stars peering down at us mortals... This is the kind of night that inspires poets, in this country and in mine alike. Nights like these are meant..." As he speaks, Raimundo's gaze travels upward, towards the sky, and he tilts up his chin. But at a certain moment, as he does so, his eyes suddenly go wide, as if he were alarmed about something. "... for love."

Izumi tips her head to the side. "Is something the matter, Raimundo?"

There's a look of disbelief in Raimundo's eyes for a moment still, replaced by one of amusement, as he keeps looking at a point far above his and Izumi's heads. "Ah, nothing." he finally looks at Izumi, smiling. "It is just like I said - the sky is so beautiful tonight, and it's a night for lovers."

Izumi addresses him a knowing look and a mischievous smile. "Are you in _love_ , Raimundo?"

The merchant chuckles. "Even if I were, my love would be so far away..."

"Is that a yes or a no?" Izumi teases him playfully.

"It is a 'maybe'."

"Aww, come on! Say you love someone already!"

The young woman and the merchant's playful banter continues into the night, and Izumi never learns of what Raimundo saw as he looked up. Had she been in his place, outside the castle, she, too, would have seen Lord Motochika and Lord Mitsuhide on the balcony, holding each other lovingly underneath the moonlight.


	2. Setting Sail

Ransei. A war-torn land where nobles, flanked by their loyal Pokémon, were always fighting. Some strove to protect themselves from their aggressive neighbors. Some wanted to discover their place in the world and prove their worth. Some merely found pleasure in the panic and destruction caused by conflict. Some, born to serve, bowed to those greater than them and carried out their will. Some claimed to fight to eventually bring about an age of peace. And the more ambitious aspired to someday unite the land under their rule.

Peasants were a whole different matter. Even if they were poor, in their hearts, they knew they were much more important than the warlords and nobles; because they, the people who worked and built, were what all those important names fought over. And even if their pockets were empty most of the time, it was precisely because their lives were so simple that they could always count on the unconditional support of the local Pokémon. A treasure of incalculable worth.

But conflict meant that sometimes, the peasants were caught in between. Their importance for the land was forgotten, and war, sometimes in the persons of the peasants' very lords in a moment of clouded judgement, stripped them of the little that they had.

The moon shone on a young woman sitting on the small countryside hill, staring out at the field stretching below and before her. Well, it definitely used to be a field, probably a rice paddy. But now all that was left of it was the very picture of grim desolation - dried soil, gravel and stones, without a single plant in sight. The young woman smiled, satisfied.

The young woman's Pokémon, an Espeon, climbed the hill and sat by the young woman's side. It looked very tired, its breathing hitched and irregular.

"Good job!" The young woman congratulated her Pokémon. "That'll fool them quite nicely."

But then she seemed to notice just how fatigued her Pokémon was, and she was sad and apologetic as her fingers ran along her Pokémon's velvet-like lilac fur. "I'm so sorry, Haru, but you'll have to keep at it for a while. You can rest your body, but not your mind right now. You can do it for me, right? Please? I promise that after today is through, I won't be asking you to do this again. They should finally leave our friends alone... " She sighed, looking at the first signs of light appearing on the horizon in the East. "At least, that's what I hope. Now, let's just wait for them. I'll stay awake with you."

They waited and waited, sitting on the hill and not once moving away from it. Dawn came, and morning soon after it. _They_ would come soon.

Crystal specks in the barren field's sand already glimmered in the golden sunlight, when Haru realized they were no longer alone. The Pokémon stood on all fours and looked around himself, growling.

"Mm? Is something the matter, Haru?" The young woman asked, looking down at the plain below them. "Ah, there they are! Finally!" She pointed excitedly at the samurai dressed in white who had just come and were standing on the edge of the barren field, asking questions of the poor peasant family who owned the plot of land. "I know you're under a bit of stress, Haru, but hang in there. Just a little more... they'll leave our friends alone soon, and then you'll be able to rest."

But the danger that Haru sensed was a different one. If all of Haru's energies had not been focused on his task, he would have discovered the other Pokémon approaching them from behind, and taken it out with its Bite attack. However, it was just impossible at the moment, Haru being as concentrated and drained as he was.

On the tired pair of Pokémon and the human, the Gothorita's Hypnosis attack worked to perfection.

When the young woman opened her eyes, she was still sitting on the same hill, but the soldiers dressed in white were now standing over her, pointing their spears at her and Haru, while their Gothorita stood over to one side. On their faces were angry, hostile looks. "Um... hello." The young woman stammered, attempting a smile as a drop of cold sweat ran down the side of her face. She peeked behind her captors to look at the field.

A multitude of lush, green rice plants stood proudly over the glistening water of the rice paddies, forming a scene of prosperity and abundance stretching over hectares as far as the eye could see.

"Whoops." The young woman bit her lip, staring up at the samurai in white. "I guess it wasn't a sterile field after all, huh? It's surprising, how fast geography changes these days, really..." One of her hands patted Haru's head, trying to comfort the Espeon and make it desist from attacking. It had done a splendid job with its illusion, even if it all had come to nothing, because they had just been found out. And now, resisting would only compromise their position even more.

Threatening to poke at the young woman with the tip of his spear, one of the soldiers in white spoke. "Using a Pokémon's psychic powers to construct the illusion of a sterile field, so the farmer would pay less taxes on it... you probably thought it was really smart, huh? Now you'll learn what happens to those who try to hide Lord Kenshin's land from Lord Kenshin himself. You're under arrest."

The young woman attempted a smile, though the cold sweat gave away how terrified she was. "Really? I never would have guessed..."

She was particularly lucky, however. At her trial, Lord Kenshin himself listened to her plea, and understood that she was just trying to help a family in need who could not afford to pay the full amount of taxes that they owed. Lord Kenshin agreed to let her live as a free woman and not separate her from the Espeon, on condition that she and Haru accepted to be exiled from their homeland of Illusio.

Now the young woman and her Espeon had nowhere to go. Their aimless steps led them to a port, where they learned that a cargo ship would set soon set sail for Fontaine.

***

Ransei. A war-torn land, where the ambitions of a single warlord from the North-East threatened to crush all others. In every one of the seventeen courts of Ransei, his mere name was enough to strike tremendous fear into the hearts of those who heard it.

But once again, the peasants were a different matter. Since they had to be wary of nobles regardless, what was a warlord who was only a little scarier than the others to them? However, if that warlord ever threatened the personal peace of those they loved, then they would know how to respond. Because warlords might strive and have to prove their worth to have Pokémon join their cause. But simple, uncomplicated people had Pokémon on their side regardless.

What is being uncomplicated? What is being pure-hearted? Are those two things the same? Is there a boundary separating peasants and warriors? And is it dangerous to play with it?

Surely Izumi had asked herself these questions and many more, at some point in her life. Now, however, wasn't that point. As she joined the laughter of the richly dressed warriors sitting at the same table as her, laughing at the story of the end of her life in Illusio, she felt just like one of them. Hell, Motochika himself had decreed that she was one of them. Like them, she no longer had to do her room now, when she didn't feel like it. She could just call one of the maids, and she would take care of it for her. And while she _could_ help out in the kitchens, given that that was what she used to do at the temple every single day, there was nobody forcing her to. And so Izumi had fallen, an easy prey to laziness and luxury.

"That was a really mean Gothorita, that those guards had!" Izumi told again, with a self-mocking smile on her face. "I mean. Hypnotizing us from behind? That's just not fair! Of course, I _was_ breaking the law... " The table erupted into laughter again, and Izumi felt content.

Once they finished their meals, all of the nobles left. Only Izumi remained sat on the floor. She wasn't laughing anymore. Emptiness was now in her eyes as she contemplated the memories of her past still floating about the room, echoes of a sad story that she, for the sake of her new acquaintances, had just tried hard to work into a joke. Absently, she stroked the fur of the Espeon in her lap. Finally she snapped out of her trance, gently ushered her Espeon onto the floor and stood to help the servants carry away the empty rice bowls.

That day, her reverie came and went, and with it the feeling that, on that fateful day the month before, when she had been fired from the temple and made a warrior in just the span of a few hours, she had crossed a forbidden boundary. As her steps took her from the kitchens to the castle's gardens, it took a little girl's shout to anchor Izumi back to reality.

"Wait there, Izumi!" A shrill voice, bossy and demanding in its innocence.

Izumi recognized it, and quickly turned around to face Gracia, the youngest of


	3. Tainted Love

Few people doubted that, in the small kingdom of Fontaine, the title of most clever man and wisest strategist was one that belonged to Lord Kousokabe Chikayasu, younger brother to Chousokabe Motochika. Even when he was immersed in his daily work as a politician and administrator, there was an air of refined intelligence that never left him.

Several piles of papers were laid out on his desk, and he sat, reading, examining, writing, signing... In an age of war, diplomacy and paperwork were of extreme importance. His Pokémon, an Oshawott, had long grown used to the fact that his human partner could only venture outside at certain times of the day, when he took breaks, and even then, he seldom left the castle. The small Water Pokémon was just content to play around in the balcony of Chikayasu's office, soothed by the sound of the nearby streams as they became one with the waves.

A sound that was different, but in an odd harmony with the water, filled the air then - the sound of a shamisen.

Chikayasu was surprised to hear that it did not come from outside, or from a distance, but from right behind him. The Oshawott dashing across the room to go play with Chikayasu's Oshawott on the balcony was a second, obvious giveaway of the newcomer's identity.

"Brother!" there was genuine excitement in Chikayasu's voice, though he neglected to turn to face Motochika. "You certainly took your time coming here. You spend so much time outside, it's a wonder you haven't turned into a Pokémon yet. Well, no matter. Shall we get started on that letter to the Oda?"

"Mm mph mmph." Answered Motochika, playing another note.

Chikayasu blinked at he unusual reply and turned around, to find that Motochika was carrying an envelope in his mouth, while his hands were busy holding and playing the shamisen.

Chikayasu walked up to his older brother and plucked the letter from his lips. "What were you saying?"

"I said, read this first." There was an intensity in Motochika's tone that made Chikayasu realize it was an urgent matter, in spite of the way the letter had been delivered. The younger brother drew the message out of the envelope and read.

_I'm not entirely sure how this happened, but..._

_... We had a battle, we won, and it appears we conquered Aurora castle as a result! The Aurora Kingdom belongs to Fontaine now!_

_It seems that a lot of people are upset about this. I don't really know how to rule a kingdom, either!_

_What should we do?_

_\- Izumi_

There followed a moment in which Chikayasu strove to remain calm and composed, as he lifted his eyes from the letter to try and inspect his older brother's face and read his thoughts on the situation.

But Motochika remained more or less inscrutable. His long bangs covered half of his face, and the other half was almost completely turned away from Chikayasu as he played.

Finally, somewhat frustrated, Chikayasu spoke. "You should have seen this coming, when you entrusted that mission to a group of peasants."

Motochika's answer was oddly prompt. "And I did."

Taken aback by his brother's answer, Chikayasu could only stare and blink at him for a long moment. Until realization dawned on him. "Oh." His puzzled look was soon replaced by one of deep, thorough admiration for his brother. "Really?"

Motochika half-smirked, half-laughed as he laid his shamisen on the floor, propping it up against a wall. "I'm surprised you've only just figured it out. Are you not the brightest man in Fontaine?"

*** 

Everything in the Aurora kingdom usually formed the idyllic picture of a small, untroubled and reasonably wealthy agricultural fief. Sunny lush fields and meadows with Pokémon happily frolicking and helping farmers with their daily work. However, on that day, Aurora was not a pleasant place to be in; at least, the main room of Aurora castle certainly wasn't. The air was filled with tension and ear-shattering yells. By contrast, among all the acrimony, the Pokémon of the people fighting had all come to a single agreement - they would all spend their time outside, in the green plains surrounding the castle. Only quarreling humans remained inside.

"You fools. None of this would have happened if you had summoned _me_ to fight alongside you!" A small, auburn-haired boy snapped at the Aurora twins who had been daimyos of their homeland mere hours before.

"Or me! I could've crushed 'em all by myself!" A not-too-bright-looking black-haired boy echoed.

"Calm down, Mitsunari! You too, Masanori." replied Hajime, the male twin, waving his hands in front of him and showing the young auburn-haired warrior a laid-back smile. "It's no big deal! We'll take our kingdom back, eventually."

"Why not right now?" asked a third boy, silver-haired and roughly Mitsunari's height. "You two and Lady Oichi may have lost against those three, but they don't stand a chance against the three of us." He gestured at the two standing at his sides, Mitsunari and the black-haired boy. "We'll reclaim your castle for you and all this will be over."

"I think it's a good idea!" Izumi chimed in shyly from one corner of the room. "It's just that, if we're going to do that, technically our Pokémon need time to fully recover first... But once they're feeling good again, we can totally- UGH!" Izumi was abruptly silenced by a bony elbow connecting with her stomach - Raimundo's.

"Disregard her words. We refuse your challenge." Raimundo stated solemnly, in a tone that, Izumi noted, merchants weren't probably supposed to use. "This is our castle now, which we have claimed in the name of our Lord Motochika of Fontaine. And precisely because the three of us are not of blue blood, we will be magnanimous rulers that the people of Aurora will support."

The twins nodded in unison at Raimundo's words. "We will be more than glad to entrust Aurora to you for a while." Said the boy. "What happened today means that the bonds between us and our Pokémon must grow stronger, if we are to rule and defend Aurora from outside invasion. We'll claim our kingdom back once we have that strength." Said the girl.

Raimundo tilted his head up and smirked smugly. "Don't count on it. We will grow stronger as well."

Mitsunari, the redhead, stepped up, infuriated. "Stop that irritating _gloating_ already. Just because you've conquered a kingdom, it doesn't mean you know how to rule it!"

"That's right, Mitsunari, show'em! Put 'em in their place!" the black-haired Masanori cheered on, stomping violently against the ground.

"Besides," Mitsunari continued, "I am sure you neglected to think about the consequences of this foolish action. As soon as the mighty kingdom of Ignis, to the North of here, hears that Fontaine has advanced, they will attack!"

"Mm. We'll think of something then." Raimundo kept up that arrogant smirk.

Izumi appeared suddenly worried. "Hey, if we _are_ attacked... Can we count on you guys supporting us? This is your country, after all, and I'm sure it's in your interest to defend it, even if the ruler is someone else."

Mitsunari clenched his fists. "You fool! I am not going to answer such a stupid question! We don't want anything to do with you!"

Raimundo chuckled then, placing a long-fingered hand over his mouth. "Ah, but she has a point, you see! Some heroes you would be, if you abandoned your people in a time of need."

Mitsunari folded his arms over his small chest. "A time of need that came about because of _you_. The people of Aurora are smart enough to understand why we would refuse to serve you."

The silver-haired boy seemed hesitant. "But if Ignis attacks, someone _will_ have to protect Aurora' people... And if these three are as incompetent as they seem to be, then wouldn't it be up to us to-"

"Shut up and let _me_ do the talking, Kiyomasa." Mitsunari interrupted him.

"Yes, because _that_ always goes over well, doesn't it?" Kiyomasa retorted.

" _What_? You ungrateful dolt! I've gotten you and Masanori out of trouble more times than I can count!"

"What about that time with the peddler? Did _that_ go well?"

Masanori got into the fray, apparently supporting Kiyomasa's side. "Right! And that other time-"

"For the love of Arceus, please, _stop fighting with each other_!" Hajime intervened, he and his twin sister separating the three arguing boys. For a few moments, Kiyomasa and Mitsunari stared at each other in silence, fuming. Finally, Mitsunari turned his head away with a haughty "Humph!", and, a moment later, Kiyomasa did more or less the same, except that a certain emptiness in his eyes gave away that he was sorry he had upset his friend.

Hajime turned to Izumi and Raimundo. Moku was there as well, standing in a dark corner of the room, leaning back against a wall. "Starting today, the Aurora Kingdom is yours, at least for a while. You are free to administer it as you please."

"And we'll do a splendid job of it, no doubt. And don't count on being able to reclaim your land anytime soon." crowed Raimundo. "That said..." he turned around and grabbed Izumi by the wrist. "I believe it's time for a _conference_ , my dear ladies." Dragging Izumi along, he stormed out of the room, grabbing an indignant Moku on the way out.

Raimundo dragged the girls along a corridor and inside an empty room, and closed the door behind them. "So! I think that went rather well, don't you?"

"What did?" Izumi asked, her brown eyes wide and seeking answers. "I'm still not sure about this. Hell, I'm not even sure what _this_ even _is_."

"Wake up, Izumi, please." Moku huffed. She walked to the nearest window, and her Crobat soon flew into the room. "This is part of a political scheme of sorts, to obtain... I'm frankly not sure what, and it's not like I care, either."

"A _political scheme_?" Raimundo chuckled. "Why, neither of you seem to have understood anything! A _political scheme_... well, it has _something_ to do with politics, I'll grant you that. But this is something much, much better!" In Raimundo's red eyes now burned a very odd look, almost... manic. "I suppose you'll have to just wait and see."

Moku smacked her hand against her own face. "All right, he's a lunatic, I should have known. I should have quit as soon as we got here."

Izumi placed her fists on her hips. "Raimundo? We're supposed to be working together, as a team! If there's anything you have to tell us, you shouldn't keep it a secret! Especially not at a moment as delicate as this!"

With his already large eyes widened almost unnaturally, Raimundo laughed again. An unpleasant, high-pitched, absolutely _demonic_ laugh that gave Izumi goosebumps. She was confused and hesitant, backing a few steps away from the man she had thought her friend. What was the matter with him? What was it he was refusing to tell them? "Why should I waste my breath? You wouldn't understand. What does a _priestess_ know about _love_?"

"More than you think." Moku snapped as a response to Raimundo's former question.

Raimundo blinked curiously then, his expression returning to something more human, which Izumi was grateful for. "Don't tell me you are also a _priestess_ , as well as a ninja and... that other job you work, _dancer_ , as our Izumi here would put it."

Raimundo received a hostile glare from Moku, mirrored by her Crobat. "I am many things. And I won't let you judge me."

"Or what? You'll sic your Crobat on my Rhydon? Because that's pretty much all you can do, isn't it?" Raimundo teased. His eyes narrowed darkly, then. "Have faith in me, my ladies. The land of Ransei will soon overflow with the power of love!"

"The power... of love?" Izumi repeated, dumbfounded.

"Izumi!" Moku called out to the younger woman. She held her finger near her temple and spun it in the "crazy" gesture. "This one has a few loose screws. Snap out of it and stop trusting him already!"

"But... he's saying this is about love." Izumi looked at Raimundo, her gaze now unfaltering, in spite of the fact that the foreigner's face had, once again, contorted into something that perhaps wasn't entirely human-like. "I'm not sure what he means exactly when he says that, but... I'd really like to know what he has in mind. And since he won't tell us, it's like he said - we'll just have to-"

At that moment, the door to their room opened, and a panicked servant burst in. "... My new lord and ladies! Hideyoshi of Ignis has invaded! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

Raimundo turned suddenly, showing the man an unnaturally wide grin and eyes alive and sparkling with excitement. "YES! FINALLY!" he shouted. He made a beeline for the door. " _This_ is what I had in mind, Izumi!" With those words, he dashed down the corridor, running at an amazing speed that Izumi could only describe as tengu-like.

"W-wait for me, Raimundo! I'm not a good runner..." Izumi called out as she tried to keep up.

Left behind in the room, Moku huffed and climbed onto the windowsill as her Crobat got behind her. The Pokémon grabbed her by the shoulders and carried her in flight out the window and into the clear sky of Aurora.

***

"Three warriors against three! The winning army will be the one that defeats every member of the opposing army!" The referee shouted, his voice so loud it could be heard equally on opposite ends of the battlefield.

Izumi looked to her side and inspected her friend. At least there no longer seemed to be madness in Raimundo's eyes. Instead, he looked... happy? All he had done since they had arrived on the battlefield with their respective Pokémon was smile and heave long, dreamy sigh while looking at a faraway spot ahead of them. " _He_ 's here, Izumi..." the foreigner murmured.

"Who is?" Izumi asked, curious.

"Him!" Raimundo pointed excitedly at what he had been staring all along. Izumi's gaze followed Raimundo's long finger, and she found herself looking at a tall and skinny middle-aged man with what seemed to be a Crobat at his side, not unlike Moku's. The man wore a red kimono fastened with a black obi and his long, red hair was blowing in the wind.

"That one kind of looks like that Mitsunari boy a few decades into the future." Izumi commented in earnest.

Without turning his gaze away from the redhead, Raimundo nonchalantly delivered a light blow to the back of Izumi's head. "Silly girl! That man is the love of my life. Feast your eyes on his beauty and talent in battle!" Raimundo's eyes gleamed fondly at the sight of the man. "We are reunited at last!"

And while Raimundo's sighs were ones of love and longing, on the opposite side, the redhead was also sighing, but out of frustration. With his eyes closed, he gritted his teeth and rubbed his temples, as if trying to think.

"It looks like somebody on the opposite side knows you." A man's voice came from behind the redhead.

"Yes. I should have known he was behind this." With a more resolute air, the redhead set his hands on his hips. "I'll deal with him personally, if you don't mind, my Lord."

"I'd be glad to let you do that, but... He has a Rhydon, and all you have is your Crobat! Are you sure you'll be all right? Wouldn't you rather fight that beautiful lady with a Crobat like yours?"

The redhead looked across the battlefield with sternly narrowed eyes, to once again see Raimundo standing in front of that huge Rhydon of his and waving happily at him. "Trust me, my Lord. I know what I'm doing."

***

If Raimundo closes his eyes, he can still see images of that day.

He can still see himself clinging to his beloved's kimono and crying his eyes out as he drowned himself in that sea of red silk. " _Don't go!_ " he screamed with the little language he had picked up during his first few months in Terrera. "I don't want you to go away... I... I love you!"

At those words, the other man went stiff in his arms. His pale face blushed fiercely, and for several moments, he was unsure of what to say, until he finally spoke. "Rai, please... be _reasonable_ , for once. If _I_ don't go, that reckless Sanada boy will want to go instead. Even if he's young and the right age to be raised as a hostage, he's a far better warrior than I am, and I don't want our Lord Shingen to lose such a valuable asset."

"But I need you _here_! With me!" The foreigner pleaded. "Can't I go with you?" he said weakly, between tears.

"No." the redhead answered, resolute. "Your merchandise is very valuable to Lord Shingen. Your exchanges with him must continue if Terrera is to prosper."

"I don't care about my merchandise anymore!" Raimundo yelled. "I just want _you_ , Matsu! We must be together! You are all I care about!"

As skinny as he was, the redhead could summon quite a bit of strength when it was necessary. In that case, he used it to forcibly pry Raimundo away from him. "Stop behaving like a child, Rai! A man your age, a fine warrior of Terrera and a representative of a faraway culture! Just look at yourself now! A bawling idiot who just implied he doesn't care about the good of the land..."

Raimundo's red eyes were even redder now that he was crying and his tears flowed freely. "I'll come free you, Matsu!"

"Don't even think about that!" the redhead snapped furiously. "Don't you get it? Hostages from a different kingdom are slain as soon as that kindgom decides to attack! That's why they take hostages in the first place! Do you want me _dead_ , Rai?"

As Raimundo shook his head wildly in response, his red eyes remained on the redhead, widened as if he wanted to take in the sight of him as much as he could, before they had to part. Finally, he sprinted forward to embrace the other man again in a tight hug. "Does that mean... we are never going to see each other again?"

"Probably." the redhead admitted with a sigh, as he tried to calm himself down. Hesitantly, he pressed a hand against Raimundo's black-blue hair.

Raimundo nuzzled lovingly against the redhead's shoulder. "Even when you are so far away... I will keep loving you, Matsu. I will always love you, _delicia_."

The redhead blushed deeply. "Rai..." he murmured. He then lowered his head as if to whisper something in Raimundo's ear.

***

"BEGIN THE BATTLE!" The referee shouted. Hideyoshi's troops suddenly began moving towards the trio of Aurora' new rulers.

One of which, Izumi, was particularly worried. "R-Raimundo? The battle has already started... Shouldn't we have discussed a battle plan by now?" While her Espeon looked ready to fight, she didn't quite know what to do.

"Ah, yes, that would have been better... How clumsy of me. Truly, the sight of my love is one that obscures the senses and all thought..." With a show of surprising agility, Raimundo climbed onto his Rhydon's back. "The battle plan is, we win. At all costs." Once he was sitting on his Pokémon's shoulders, he smirked down at Izumi. "Good luck." He then turned to his Rhydon, who was looking at where the invaders were standing, on the opposite side of the field. Raimundo pointed forward in a dramatic gesture. "Charge!" At that, the Rhydon craned its huge head low, and began to run forward, the earth shaking powerfully each time the Pokémon's enormous and heavy frame connected with the ground.

The tremors made Izumi lose her balance and land facefirst on the ground. "Agh!"

All she could do, as she sat up, was stare disconsolately in the direction of the Rhydon with Raimundo on his back. "What now?" was her sad comment to the audience of her Espeon, Moku and her Crobat. The older woman was already in flight, her Pokémon keeping her suspended by the shoulders. Izumi hoped Moku could still hear her. "When we battled the army of the Aurora kingdom, Raimundo said that having a battle plan was essential... but we don't have one for this battle! What should we do?"

"Let's get moving!" Moku yelled from way above Izumi's head. "We have an army to crush, so we crush them. It's as simple as that."

"I thought you didn't even want to help Raimundo's plans!" Izumi called out.

"That's not what this is about." Moku reassured her, showing the younger woman a confident smile. "Crobat and I were just itching for a good battle."

Izumi paused, taken aback by those words, while Moku and Crobat grew smaller and smaller as they soared. Finally, she spoke, although obviously Moku, who by now was flying over the enemy lines, couldn't hear her. "There really are a lot of things you haven't told me!"

***

 _Thump, thump, thump, thump_. A sound making the earth shake, its vibration stronger every time. While most would consider its species a typically slow one, Raimundo's Rhydon could _run_ , and right now it was approaching the enemy as fast as it possibly could.

Said enemy had barely moved since the battle had started. As energetic as Matsubusa was known to be, he knew it was no use wasting his energy to seek Raimundo, when, since even before the start of the battle, the foreigner had been so eager to go to him. Instead, he stood on a small hill, his hands on his hips clad in red silk and his Crobat batting its large leathery wings next to him.

The hill shook as the Rhydon began to climb it, soft soil claimed by tough, rocky feet.

It was not long before the two long-haired men - a redhead clad in red and a blue-brunette clad in black - came face to face.

"My love! At last, we meet again!" Raimundo gracefully hopped off his Rhydon's back and twirled on the spot gracefully once, like a dancer. With light steps, he pranced closer to the red-haired samurai. "Finally, this is my chance to free you! Ah, I always knew this day would come! A war-torn world could not keep us apart!"

In all response, Matsubusa sighed. "I think I liked you better when your vocabulary was smaller."

Raimundo frowned and brought his unusually red lips together in a pout. "It is out of my love for you, my dear, that I have, after incredible, unprecedented effort, mastered your beautiful language!"

Matsubusa rolled his eyes. "If you truly did it for my sake, it was a wasted effort. You're not allowed to communicate with me. As you very well know from the time I had to forbid you from sending me letters. You were making me look bad in my Lord's eyes."

"Well, I can talk to you now, can I not?" Raimundo flashed the man he loved an innocent smile.

" _During a battle?_ " The growl in Matsubusa's tone made it more obvious than ever that he was growing impatient with Raimundo's antics.

Raimundo pouted again. "Of course! I conquered one of Ignis' neighboring kingdoms just so that _this_ could happen!"

"And you admit it _just like that_?!" Matsubusa spat, clenching his fists at his sides. "Enough! In the name of my lord Hideyoshi, you will get what you deserve! Our love is no more, and I will make sure you know that!"

"But... can't we talk a little longer first? Even if you win, and I can't free you... all I wanted was a moment with you... _minha delicia_..." Raimundo lowered his gleaming eyes and blinked, in an attempt to soften Matsubusa's heart.

The foreign words made Matsubusa pause for a moment, his eyes widening as the unusual sounds made sweet, private memories flow back into his mind. He snapped out of it quite soon, however. "Y-you've had your moment! Now we fight!"

"With pleasure!" Raimundo replied promptly, twirling like a dancer again. "May my dance of war seduce you into wanting me and your freedom back!"

The redhead smacked his palm against his forehead. "It's not like I don't want you back..."

Raimundo paused and blinked, and the look in his red eyes was suddenly both surprised and pleading.

In turn, Matsubusa also looked taken aback by what he had just said. And he seemed frantic to find a way to somehow remedy it. "We just... can't be together again, alright? Especially not now that we're on opposite sides."

"Oh, we _will_ be together again, like we were back in Terrera! It's destiny! _Rock Slide_!" Proving that even a merchant could be a clever tactician, Raimundo took advantage of Matsubusa's momentary confusion to launch his first attack. A barrage of large rocks was suddenly flying at Matsubusa's Crobat, who hadn't even braced itself for battle, since the two men had been talking. Needless to say, the Flying type was badly hurt from the blow. Seeing those bad bruises and the bat's now impaired flight, Raimundo jumped in joy. "Yes! That's how badly I want to free you, Matsu!"

"Do you plan to _kill_ my Crobat, Rai?" Matsubusa spat as it took a moment to assess whether his Pokémon could still fight.

Raimundo nodded. "If that's what it takes to free you, then yes!"

"It's never going to happen!" Matsubusa yelled. "Cross Poison!"

Matsubusa's Crobat unleashed a fierce Poison attack on Raimundo's Rhydon. But not only did the Ground and Rock type emerge pretty much unscathed - the attack had barely left a scratch, and the rock beast could even afford to quirk its brow sarcastically at the purple bat.

Raimundo's blood-colored irises flared up. Matsubusa was cornered! Although the redhead himself was still staring defiantly at the Pokémon that had made his Crobat nearly powerless, the foreign merchant knew that he did not stand a chance.

"This ends now." As Raimundo said those words, he drew a hand up, and simultaneously, his Rhydon summoned a storm of rocks and made them float so high around itself that they almost obscured the view of the sky. There was no doubt that the target of that powerful Rock Slide would find themselves in a world of pain... Raimundo lifted his raised hand even higher above his head. "At last, Matsubusa... the torments plaguing our romance have come to their final act!" He spoke in a melodious lilt, and twirled once around himself. "Can't you hear the audience clap?" And right after that graceful dance move, Raimundo got into a rigid, powerful stance, now lowering his open palm and extending it in front of himself.

" _ROCK SLIDE!_ "

A moment later, Matsubusa was bent over his fallen Crobat, worried and unsure whether his prized Pokémon would even live. "Raimundo... What have you done?" He said, his voice cracking as he looked up at his former friend and lover with a hateful glare.

In all response, Raimundo and his Rhydon stood over them, both wearing smug, insensitive smiles. "Don't worry! Your Crobat will be fine. If it won't, I'll get you a new, healthier, stronger one! You know I have the means."

"You insolent-!" Matsubusa seethed, gritting and showing his teeth in anger.

Raimundo sighed. "I'm joking, all right? I'm sure your Crobat is fine. Pokémon are sturdy creatures. Now." He stepped closer to Matsubusa and reached an open hand out to him. "Come with me. I will defend you as I wrap up this accursed battle and make love triumph! And, at last, you and your heart shall be free."

"Not so fast!" A third voice yelled from behind Raimundo.

The foreign merchant turned to face the man who had spoken. His excitement soon subsided, replaced by a cold frown. "Well. This is unexpected."

Matsubusa raised his gaze from his fainted Pokémon. He recognized the voice, and the look he gave the newcomer was radiant, full of renewed hope. Joyful. "My Lord!"

The look in Matsubusa's eyes did not go unnoticed by Raimundo. For a moment, the merchant forgot about the magnitude of the new enemy that had just come to Matsubusa's aid. Something else occupied his mind now.

The sudden realization that he had been going about this all wrong...

A few, precious instants were lost. At a cost.

"CLOSE COMBAT, now!"

***

Chikayasu ran a hand through his black hair, and carefully adjusted the locks that his older brother had once dyed blonde on a whim. "Where could he have gone...?"

His Oshawott came to Chikayasu's side and used its tiny front paws to pull at his hakama lightly.

"Ah... right." Chikayasu smiled as he looked at his Pokémon. "Just like my brother and I are bound for life... So are you and his Oshawott. And the nature of your bond is exactly the same as ours..."

The Oshawott nodded with a bright smile. In fact, just like Chikayasu was Motochika's younger brother, Chikayasu's Oshawott was the younger brother of Motochika's Oshawott.

"Go ahead, then. I'll follow you."

The Oshawott started off in one direction, hot on his brother's tracks, and his human partner followed obediently. Sniffing the air and the green grass for familiar scents, the Pokémon found a path. Their search led them away from the castle and along the lush banks of one of Fontaine's beautiful, clear rivers. "As usual, it looks like they never strayed from the water." Chikayasu observed with a smile and a light laugh. No one more than him knew about his brother's love of the element their kingdom was devoted to.

Soon enough, notes that unmistakably came from a shamisen came to their ears. However, they were almost drowned by the sound of water... the roar of water, as it crashed down from high up. Chikayasu briefly removed his monocle and looked into the distance, where one of Fontaine's majestic waterfalls cascaded down a hill. "Ah, he's sitting... near the waterfall?"

Chikayasu's Oshawott had already dashed ahead, and he turned to look at his human partner and nod.

Chikayasu ran the rest of the way; unaccustomed to physical effort, he was panting by the time he arrived, and collapsed on his knees on the grass. "Brother... I bring news." He declared. In his fist he held two small scrolls, new missives.

Motochika and his Oshawott had been sitting on top of a large, damp and mossy rock next to the waterfall. Once his younger brother came into his view, both Pokémon and human descended from the rock with a single, athletic jump, landing on their feet. Motochika walked over to Chikayasu and lowered himself on one knee to be level with him. Similarly, the two Oshawott ran to each other and decided they would go play in the water.

Placing his shamisen on the grass, Motochika rested a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "So the spirit of rebellion burns within you, too, brother. You could have sent a messenger, but instead, you overexerted yourself by coming to look for me personally."

By now, Chikayasu's breathing had slowed, and he raised his head to meet his brother's gray eyes with a stubborn look - just as stubborn as Motochika was known to be. "Only I know where you are at all times, brother. No one shares as deep a bond with you as I do. And I most definitely did _not_ overexert myself. You may be Fontaine's strongest, but I am a close second." He smirked smugly. "Besides, finding you really didn't take that long."

Motochika nodded, mirroring his brother's smirk. "Excellent."

Chikayasu sensed that his brother was about to stand and move away, forgetful of the reason why Chikayasu had come to him in the first place. So he pushed the scrolls into his brother's hands. "Please read these, brother. They are very important."

Motochika read the first scroll. As he read, he nodded and smirked. "Izumi and Raimundo lost Aurora to the lord of Ignis, Hideyoshi... just as planned."

Chikayasu sighed. "Hideyoshi's Infernape made short work of those peasants' Pokémon..." But it was not long until he was giving his brother the look of admiration he reserved exclusively for him. He had planned even this? His brother's genius, impetuous and far-sighted at the same time, was sometimes hard to understand even for Chikayasu. "The second missive contains even graver news, brother."

Motochika proceeded to read the second missive. This time, his reaction was a slow nod. His smirk from a moment before was gone, replaced by an air of gravity. "... Also as planned." He said as he rolled the scroll back together, before flinging both missives back to his brother.

"Ah!" Chikayasu safely caught the two scrolls in his hands. "You... planned for the former rulers of Aurora to attack Fontaine?"

Motochika walked closer to the river, to where their two Oshawott were playing. "Two highborn twins, deprived of the land they should possess by birthright. And yet, revenge is not what they are after."

Chikayasu tipped his head to the side. "It's not?"

"No. They, too, oppose the darkness of these times." Motochika replied, sitting close to the water's edge.

Chikayasu appeared worried, and frantically ran to where his brother was. "Do you mean they could have learned about our pact with the Oda? I was not aware Aurora had spies!"

Motochika shook his head, his wild black and silver locks shaking in turn. "It's not that, either. All they hope to gain from fighting us is the necessary experience and resources to reclaim their land, which is now owned by Hideyoshi."

Chikayasu nodded and smirked, folding his arms over his chest. "But we won't let them have that, either, right?"

"Actually, we will." And that was the very last thing Motochika said, before diving headlong into the river and disappearing below the water's surface. Excited, the two Oshawott followed suit, and Chikayasu was left alone standing on the river's bank, dumbfounded.

"WHAT?" he yelled out. But he saved his breath - his brother wasn't going to hear him in the water.

It wasn't long until the Oshawott and Motochika emerged with their heads out of the water. The two Pokémon exchanged merry laughter, while Motochika smiled contentedly.

"Are you going to just give them your kingdom, brother?!" Chikayasu called out, worried and mildly frustrated.

In all response, Motochika seemed to ignore him. "Come join me, brother." And he motioned for Chikayasu to join him in the water.

Chikayasu's face flushed red. Now wasn't the time for a swim! Still... it was a request from his older brother, and he was going to honor it. At least, unlike Motochika, he had the common sense to undress first, folding and laying his clothes neatly on a clean, dry stone and placing his monocle in a velvet case he had bought from Raimundo at the market. Then he waded into the river, approaching his brother with every step. He was surprised to find that the embrace of the water was one he had needed - the day had been incredibly hot, not to mention that Chikayasu's body was full of tension from spending long hours bent over papers. His fatigue and worries were being washed away, slowly and gently.

Motochika greeted him with a defiant smirk. "I soaked my clothes again. What are you going to do?"

Chikayasu shrugged his shoulders. "You do it all the time. I've long come to terms with the fact that there really isn't anything I can do about it - in the end, you'll just do what you feel like doing."

"I won't surrender Fontaine without a fight, rest assured." Seriousness had suddenly returned to Motochika's expression, and Chikayasu knew that Motochika was addressing the concerns he had expressed earlier. "But even regardless of the outcome of the battle, there are dark forces at work - and if I am to fight them, the temporary sacrifice of parting from my land will be necessary."

Chikayasu's eyes went wide. His brother had to leave...? "I... I see, brother. But, the rulers of Aurora-"

"Lack the necessary experience to properly govern. Which is why you will remain here, as Fontaine's chief administrator." And there it was again - that defiant smirk of Motochika's, that silent challenge spurring his interlocutor to give the very best of themselves and surpass their self-imposed limitations. "Will you be up to the task, brother?"

Normally, here Chikayasu would have adjusted his monocle, but it had been left on the riverbank, along with his clothes. In its absence, he stroked the side of his nose briefly and smiled. He felt confident, empowered, _happy_ knowing that his dearest older brother had so much faith in him that he would leave him almost completely in charge of their kingdom. To him, there was no greater joy than knowing he enjoyed his brother's absolute trust. "I will, brother. I am as ready as I'll ever be."

"Excellent." Motochika concluded with a nod.

***

"P-please be okay..." Izumi's stroked her Espeon's fur, making sure that the Potion ointment was properly coating all of her Pokémon's injuries. She hoped a single Potion would be enough. Her heart sank when her Pokémon responded to her action with a grunt of pain. "Haru!" she called out desperately.

Izumi lifted her head up to glare at Raimundo, pure hatred in her brown eyes. "If you hadn't gotten us in trouble, Haru wouldn't be like this right now... Why did you do it, Raimundo? I never should have trusted you, and gone along with your decisions..."

A few feet from her, Moku, who was, like Izumi, kneeling over her fainted Crobat to nurse it back to health, let out a loud sigh and sarcastically clapped her hands in slow motion. " _Now_ she gets it..."

Raimundo's face was cold, his usual heat and passion seemingly gone. His Rhydon was hurt, too, but it seemed to have already recovered a bit. It still could not fight, of course, but at least it was standing and had its eyes open, something which couldn't be said about Izumi's Espeon and Haru's Crobat, both purple Pokémon lying limply on the grass. "I did it out of love." Raimundo responded. "If we want Ransei's war to end, love must be what inspires us at all times."

As she lifted one of her Crobat's wings with her hands, checking for pain in its joints, Moku arched an eyebrow. "Lot of good that did, huh? We got creamed by Hideyoshi himself, and your... friend with benefits from Terrera is still a hostage in Ignis."

Raimundo stomped his foot against the ground and knit his eyebrows together, greatly offended by her remark. "This is just a minor setback. I'll have him back yet."

Moku's eyebrow only arched more. Raimundo was so possessive over that man... could what he felt even be called love? It was more like a fixation. Then again, he was from the other side of the world... maybe they did things differently there. And Moku really wasn't the type to judge others based on their outlook on life, especially after all she had had to suffer. So that is why she chose to drop the subject and not make any more remarks.

But someone was more candid than Moku was. If a little more idiotic. "If this is what the power of love is... I'm not sure it's something I can believe in..." Izumi mused aloud, as her tears fell on her quivering, prostrated Pokémon.


	4. Free

The silvery light of the moon drew the contours of a small tent near the edge of the woods. In front of it, Izumi sat, nursing her ailed Espeon. She had prepared little clay bowls filled with healing ointments that she had made with Moku's help. The older woman had convinced her that the remedies bought from shops were too expensive, and one never knew what was in them, and it was better not to take the risk. And so, the two women had made their own medicines by putting their knowledge together, that which Izumi had gathered while working at Fontaine's shrine to the God of Water, and the teachings that Moku had made hers when she served the head priestess of a large temple that wasn't there anymore.

The oils made the Espeon's already lustrous fur glisten even more in the moonlight. "The moon's rays will do you some good, I think. Just like sunlight during the day." Izumi explained in a respectful whisper as she massaged her Pokémon. "Now sleep. I'll be watching over you." The Pokémon shifted a little, to look at her with a small, grateful smile, a clean break from his usual stoic expression. "Shh... don't move, Haru." Izumi said, scratching the Pokémon behind the ears. "Just be a good boy and sleep..."

Slowly but surely, the Espeon closed his eyes, and Izumi watched as her Pokémon's small chest rose and fell, with a bit of a hitch at times. The burns hurt, and it was a pain that Izumi could feel...

... But Izumi was not alone. She heard a familiar huff coming from behind the tent flaps. Soon enough, she was joined by one of her two fellow travelers - the one she was not angry with at the moment.

"How's it going, Moku?" asked Izumi.

Another huff. "Well, how do you _think_ it's going? Night is when Crobat are naturally more active. I have to keep Crobat in a cage, so it won't fly off into the darkness and risk hurting itself more. And because I won't let it out, it's literally going insane."

"I'm sorry..." Izumi apologized, lowering her head. "None of this would have happened if... if I hadn't been friends with Raimundo and trusted him so much."

"We can still do something about that." answered Moku. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

Izumi's eyes widened in shock, and she put her hand to her mouth, scandalized by what she thought Moku was implying. "I know Raimundo hasn't been nice to us, but I won't let you hurt him!"

Moku shook her head. "Believe me, it has crossed my mind. But no, it's nothing that extreme."

"So what is it?" Izumi tipped her head to the side.

Moku knelt down at Izumi's side and grabbed the younger woman's arm in a strong vicegrip. "Let's _run_ , Izumi."

It took a moment for Moku's proposal to sink in. Then, Izumi's eyes widened in shock, and she shook her head violently. "No! No, we can't! We can't split up! The three of us are on an official mission to become experienced warriors for the use of Mitsuhide of Nixtorm! What will I tell Lord Motochika?"

Moku rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't know. The _truth_ should be enough, don't you think? That we were manipulated by the foreigner and used for his personal ends?"

Izumi's shoulders fell, and she averted her eyes. "But I... I want to see this to the end... we've just started out on our journey... and surely, Raimundo won't attempt something like this again, after what happened..."

Moku shook her head again, exasperated. "That man is _insane_ , Izumi! With our Pokémon in this state, we can't afford to take any more risks!"

Izumi knitted her brow together. A look of determination gradually appeared in her eyes, and it was with it that she tried to defy Moku once again. "Well, I've made my decision! If you want to leave, then just do so! You'll be out there on your own again, surrounded by people who just want to exploit you for your beauty! So good luck with that!" It wasn't often that Izumi poured her thoughts out of her mouth like that. As soon as she was done talking, she felt embarrassed by what she had just said, and lowered her eyes once again.

Even Moku was taken aback by Izumi's sudden burst of honesty, and her violet eyes went wide for a long moment. Surprise quickly turned into indignation, however, and Moku spoke through firmly gritted teeth. "How... how dare you speak to me like this...?!"

Even if Izumi couldn't quite look straight at Moku yet, she watched her out of the corner of her eye, just in case the older woman decided to strike her.

But Moku did not quite do so, at least for the moment. Instead, she clenched her hands into fists and gave a nearly hysterical shriek. " _YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME!_ "

"Don't yell. You'll wake Raimundo up." Izumi observed quietly and sighed.

"I DON'T CARE!" Moku spat. "I don't care about the foreigner, I don't care about the Chousokabe, or the Akechi... I'm tired of being ordered around by men that don't deserve my respect!"

Izumi's eyes widened in alarm, and she looked at Moku inquisitively. What the older woman had just said was very harsh and disrespectful! "Surely you don't mean that!"

"No, Izumi! I mean it!" Moku's fist landed violently on the ground, which startled Izumi's Espeon. With a sudden jolt, the Pokémon woke up from its peaceful, much-needed sleep, prompting a comment from Izumi.

"Moku! Look what you did! You just woke up Haru!" The younger woman complained. Her angry, yet widened eyes now actively sought Moku even in the near-darkness, widened as they searched for an explanation for the woman's wild behavior tonight.

On Izumi's face was heroic compassion for her Pokémon, the courage to try and restore justice... and yet, there was also acceptance and solidarity. Whatever pain was plaguing Moku's heart, Izumi was willing to listen to it and liberate her friend from the darkness within her. Moku found herself taken aback, blinking dumbly at the younger woman; in spite of her simple mind and many other flaws, she was so much purer and more honest than her. "... Oh. I..." Moku stood to her feet and averted her eyes, briefly brushing back locks of violet hair from her temples. "I don't know what got me. I am..." She seemed to be struggling to end that sentence.

"... 'sorry'?" Izumi finished it for her. "Doesn't hurt to say it once in a while, you know."

"Yeah, I..." Moku waved a hand dismissively at Izumi. "... Need some air. You get some sleep." With that said, she headed closer to the edge of the forest clearing where they had camped.

"Hey! Come back!" Izumi called out. "You can't go into the forest at this time of night!"

But Moku didn't turn to listen and walked on, soon disappearing behind the impenetrable curtain of the forest's darkness.

"Moku? Moku, come back!"

***

"Moku hasn't come back." were the first word Izumi heard the following morning, those that woke her up. Raimundo was sitting on his knees on the grass next to her, a lot like they were on the ship that took them to the mainland... except, Izumi promptly remembered, Haru was in a very sorry shape right now, while he had been in prime form back then.

"Yeah, I figured." Izumi said as she looked up at the clear blue morning sky framed by the foliage above them. "I bet she took her Crobat with her, too, huh?"

Raimundo sighed. "Sadly, the little devil is still here. We should probably open its cage."

Izumi pushed herself to sit up groggily. "I'll go do it now." But before getting to her feet, she spent a long moment looking at Haru. She could tell that her Pokémon was already awake, but kept his eyes closed regardless. And Haru wasn't the lazy type... he was still unwell.

"We have to move today. We can't afford to wait for her. She's slowing us down." Raimundo stated a moment later, while Izumi was bent near Crobat's cage, opening it.

The Crobat seemed wary of the younger woman's presence, and Izumi had to ignore Raimundo for a moment. "Moku isn't here, Crobat. We don't know where she went. Do you think you could help us find her?"

The Crobat narrowed its eyes and glared at Izumi, evidently not trusting her. With loud flaps of its leathery wings, it flew out of its cage and began searching the tent and the area surrounding it for the human it had bonded with.

"You won't find her, Crobat!" Izumi called out. "She really is gone!" She ran to where Crobat now was, flying overhead but unmoving, unsure of where to look for Moku. "Where do you think she went?"

The Crobat lingered for a moment still, before suddenly darting off into the forest.

"Wait for me!" Izumi called.

The Crobat led her across a portion of the forest, and Izumi lost sight of the Pokémon among the foliage and branches quite a few times. But every time, the Crobat stopped and waited for Izumi to catch up, and Izumi understood that the bat truly meant to help, and was not just running off on its own. "Thank you, Crobat." Izumi said with a smile once she realized this, wiping sweat from her brow.

The Crobat led Izumi up a steep hill covered in woods, and finally stopped in a spot where the valley underneath could be seen beyond the trees. On the other side of the valley was an expanse of enormous purple crystal formations floating above ground and glittering in the morning sun. In their midst, a town of considerable size prospered, and above them, resting on a floating island of purple crystals, towered a castle with purple roofs, adorned with large banners reminiscent of paper charms.

Izumi gaped and blinked. "Illusio... My..." She reached out a hand, as if she could touch that town in the distance. "My home..." Right after that, however, she closed her eyes gravely. The words of the elders still echoed in her mind, the decree that had changed her life, forcing her away from her home forever. She sighed deeply - this was a turn of events she would have to accept, just as she had accepted her fate as an exile. "Is that where Moku went, Crobat?" she asked.

The purple bat Pokémon turned and nodded its head. As she feared...

***

Nobuchika Chousokabe, eldest son of Motochika Chousokabe, lay on the grass under a tree and looked up at his Panpour, watching the monkey-like Water type swing happily from branch to branch, its eyes constantly closed in perpetual bliss. Technically, calling it _his_ Panpour still required a fair bit of effort - to him, it was still "the Panpour that Oda Nobunaga had given him" on occasion of his coming-of-age ceremony. The Pokémon itself was a sign that things were changing. The Oda now controlled a considerable portion of Ransei, but the Chousokabe had been struggling to remain an independent faction for as long as possible. They were now having to reconsider their position, it seemed. Nobuchika's uncle Chikayasu was already working at a formalization of their alliance... and then there was that ceremony, which had been attended by no less than Nobunaga himself. Along with the Panpour, from him Nobuchika had also received the first two syllables of his adult name. And it seemed only yesterday, and the truth was that it hadn't been many months before, that Nobuchika's name was still Yasaburou and he could afford to ignore the intricacies of political and diplomatic matters... And yet there went Panpour, hopping from branch to branch without a care in the world, even though Nobuchika had just informed it that their battle against the Aurora twins would begin soon.

"Being an adult isn't bad." Nobuchika mused aloud to himself. "I just wish I were free."

"You already are."

Nobuchika was surprised to receive a response. And yet, the voice was familiar. The young man sat up, glancing in the direction of the voice. "Father!"

He found Motochika sitting not far from him, leaning against the tree. "Speak your mind, my son. Give a voice to your concerns."

Nobuchika blinked once, his eyes wandering to stare at the empty battlefield stretching out before them. "My concerns? Well, let's see..." He stood, stretched and lifted his arms above his head, ready to catch Panpour whenever he felt like hopping down. "Are we truly joining the Oda, Father? Or is there something else?"

"What else could there be?" Motochika asked, playing a few notes on his shamisen. Nobuchika didn't have to turn to know that his father was smirking.

"Why did Izumi leave?" Nobuchika abruptly turned to face his father. Meanwhile, Panpour had been ready to hop into his human partner's arms... and instead ended up falling on its rear on the ground. "Ah! Panpour... I'm sorry..." Nobuchika scooped his Pokémon up in his arms.

"You miss her?" Motochika tipped his head to the side, his smirk still present. "So that is why you feel that your soul is in chains. Marrying a commoner would not befit one of your station..."

Nobuchika's face flushed a deep red. What was his father implying? He held Panpour in front of himself almost defensively. "Th-that is not what I meant at all! I'm just wondering why she had to go. Moreover, if we are allies of the Oda now... why spy on their movements? If we were found out... that would only mean more trouble for our kingdom."

Motochika rose to his feet and turned his head North. "You must understand, son... Fontaine's safety is no longer my only concern."

"Oh." Nobuchika's eyes widened in realization, and his jaw dropped slightly. "Father, you are..."

***

Izumi sighed as she reluctantly led the way for her now even smaller party towards Illusio, carrying Haru in her arms. They were being very careful, trying to avoid meeting people along the way. Whenever they did, Izumi had to cover her face with her long kimono sleeve or bury her face in Haru's fur to avoid being recognized. "I like Moku, but... she'll pay for this."

"Oh, you don't have to tell _me_!" Raimundo grumbled.

Izumi blinked. "Have you been banished from Illusio, too?"

"No, it's just... Nothing. Never mind." Raimundo shook his head and waved a hand dismissively. But the truth was that he looked as though something was bothering him extremely.

"It is _something_ , or you wouldn't be acting like this." Izumi quietly observed, petting Haru's head as she walked. Soon, she stopped in her tracks. "Oh, right! That friend of yours is from Terrera, Takeda Shingen's land... so that means you..."

A furious Raimundo ran up to Izumi and placed a hand over her mouth. " _Shhh_! _Meu deus_ , don't say that out loud here!"

Izumi shook her head powerfully in response and freed herself from Raimundo's hand. "Alright, alright! But if you really want to avoid attracting attention, maybe you should stop speaking your mother tongue."

"Izumi?" A woman's voice spoke, curious and delicate.

"Aah!" Izumi sprang to attention. Someone had recognized her! She turned away from Raimundo and towards the voice.

Two blue eyes, round and pure, were staring back at her. The woman's mouth had fallen open, drawing a small "o" of surprise.

"L-Lady Osen!" Izumi stuttered.

 _Great_ , Izumi thought. Of all the people they could meet along the road, many of them peasants, farmers, merchants or other people with no ties whatsoever to the Uesugi government... they had to meet Lady Osen, Sen to her peers, wife to the most famous of Kenshin's retainers, Naoe Kanetsugu. It was not as though Izumi disliked her, though! In fact, back when she was still living in Illusio, she had run quite a few errands for her and knew her well. She was a quiet and kind woman who, in spite of her standing and refinement, did a lot of the housework herself, with barely any help from servants, and was gentle and understanding to nobles and commoners alike. Even so... Izumi had to tread very carefully. Something she wasn't very good at.

"P-please don't tell your husband that I'm here..." she pleaded in a weak voice. The undignified display prompted an eyeroll from Raimundo. "I'm just looking for a friend of ours who ran off over here without a warning! I'll leave as soon as we find her, I promise!"

The beautiful lady listened, and the long pause before her reply gave Izumi the chills. Finally, the lady smiled benevolently. "If the one you are looking for is a friend, then it cannot be helped. But justice requires that you leave Illusio as soon as this matter is solved, Izumi. That said..." Her smile widened, full of light. "I am very glad to see you are doing fine, Izumi. The girl I knew is a woman now."

Izumi blushed and held her Espeon closer, embarrassed. "Well, honestly, I don't think I've changed much..."

The more practical Raimundo cut their conversation short. "Do you know anything that may help us find her friend? She's older, taller and more muscular than Izumi, pale, with violet eyes and hair... her name is Moku, and my personal hypothesis is that she came here to Illusio to pray to the same gods as your lord Kenshin."

"What? Really?" Izumi was taken aback, and turned to face Raimundo. "Is that the reason?"

Raimundo sighed. "It is quite obvious, Izumi. When we fought a few days ago, Moku mentioned being a priestess. But since she clearly isn't a priestess anymore, my guess is that she was a nun at one of the monasteries destroyed by Oda Nobunaga."

"Oh!" Lady Osen exclaimed, a note of hurt in her voice.

"Oh." Izumi said, blinking. So Moku's life had been ruined by Nobunaga...? That was why she refused so staunchly to work for the Oda, even as a cover-up...

"I know you're young, but you are way past the age when you are allowed to be clueless about these matters, Izumi." Raimundo chided. "That said, the beliefs of the Uesugi clan should be akin to hers, if not the same. Lady Osen... Have you seen someone who answers that description? Or, can you direct us to a temple or shrine where a person in need might go to pray?"

"Actually..." Sen was still smiling gently. She briefly looked at her side, a bit mischievously, as if she were about to confess a secret. "I am on my way back from the temple right now. I was turned away at the door - I was told that Mistress Aya herself has closed herself in with a poor soul in need."

" _MISTRESS AYA?!_ " Izumi shouted in anguish in reply. She would have put her hands in her hair, weren't it for the fact that she had to carry her Espeon.

"Lord Kenshin's older sister, if I recall correctly..." Raimundo's description was promptly confirmed by Lady Osen, who nodded. "Let's go, then." Raimundo signaled at his Rhydon and Moku's Crobat to get moving. "We have no time to lose. Come on, Izumi."

"B-but... _Mistress Aya_!" Izumi repeated, frightened and on the verge of tears. "You don't know what that means, Raimundo. She's one of the people who came up with the verdict that sent me into exile, and she's... Well... If _she_ sees me here... Can't you go get Moku on your own? I'll stay here."

"Forget about it." Raimundo said. "I despise that woman, and I am not setting foot into the temple of a religion that is not mine on my own."

Izumi huffed in a very Moku-like fashion, holding her Espeon protectively. "I didn't know that you foreigners could be so intolerant. Anyway, that Mistress Aya is with Moku is super bad news to me."

"Fret not, Izumi." Lady Osen stepped forward and placed a delicate, pale hand on Izumi's blue kimono. "I'll go with you, and I'll explain the situation to Mistress Aya. She will listen to me."

Izumi blinked, dumbfounded. "But, Lady Osen, there's no need..." Until she remembered that, yeah, there was some need. A lot of need, in fact. "Alright, then. Let's go." Izumi nodded, absently petting Haru's head as she did so. Without a doubt, she thought, her Pokémon had as many memories tying him to this place as she did... All in all, even if they weren't welcome and had to watch their backs at all times... being back home wasn't so bad.

***

"Eevee, Quick Attack!"

" _Agh!_ " The normally smug Morichika could only stare in shock as his Wooper was taken down by the fox-like creature. "Wooper, no! Why...? Gah... you're worthless, Wooper!" The youngest Chousokabe walked up to his fainted Pokémon and stomped his foot heavily at a hair's breadth from the tiny creature. Even unconscious, the small Water-type whimpered, afraid that his human partner was going to trample over it.

"Hey! Stop that!" Nobuchika called out from behind his brother. "Wooper fought hard for you, so you should be thankful! Now, retreat! You're just in our way like this!"

Morichika growled unintelligibly, picked up his Wooper from the back of its small neck and stormed off, retreating to the far edge of the battlefield.

Nobuchika furrowed his brow and pensively tapped his closed fan against his chin. He briefly looked to his side at his father, who, with Oshawott at his feet, looked extremely relaxed by comparison, his shamisen resting in his arms as if he were merely taking a break between songs. Now that, after Chikamasa, Morichika had been defeated as well, it was just the two of them. The head of the Chousokabe clan, and his still inexperienced heir... They had been challenged by the two Aurora twins, meaning that the battle had started out four against two, but was now an even two against two, and yet to be decided. "Father?" Nobuchika asked. "Do you want to win this battle at all?"

"Whether the waves of change drown us or send us afloat, I will use the outcome to our advantage." came Motochika's answer, punctuated by a few notes. As a response to the music, the Oshawott's ears perked and it braced itself, getting ready to move. The music was a signal, as Nobuchika knew very well, his father's unique and mysterious way of commanding and encouraging his Pokémon.

Nobuchika sighed. "I thought so. Well, let's just do our best and see what happens." Nobuchika unfolded his fan and brought his arm forward to signal a charge. "Go, Panpour! Use Water Gun, now!"

The Pokémon responded, sending a powerful water jet towards one of the two Eevee. It was a solid hit, and Motochika watched his son close his eyes as soon as the injured Pokémon's cry of pain reached his ears. Not even the most promising of young warriors liked the war.

***

It's a small room, but full of light and the smell of Moku's former home, mingled scents of incense and ancient wood. Reassuring, familiar things, things that warm her heart and send her back to a happier time in her life, when things were simpler.

And, besides her heart, another part of Moku's body feels warm - her cheek, the red marks left by an unrelenting hand still visible. The pain did not come without gentle words, the words that Moku had needed to hear, and the sudden realization of her mistakes.

"Do you understand now? Even in a warrior like yourself, love must never be stifled by hatred." Aya's smile is as warm and healing as the pain she knows how to deal. A living symphony of contrasts that doesn't need to _demand_ respect to obtain it... Respect is a given, a precondition, like the respect that one owes to a goddess, severe and fearsome and yet radiating calmness. If Moku's negative feelings hadn't been chased away by Aya's mere presence, she would envy this woman who looks so beautiful even if she's likely much older than she is, this woman revered and worshiped as an embodiment of the divine by some of the strongest men in Ransei, whom she also has at her beck and call when it comes to politics and war.

"Love is all. Love will triumph over everything. Even yourself. Bend to its will..." The goddess' smile never wavers, not even when the familiar sound of leathery wings fills the air and Moku's Crobat flies in from the open window.

" _Crobat!_ " Moku scrambles to her feet and catches her Pokémon, her first and only Pokémon, in her arms.

" _Moku!_ " A woman's voice calls out from the street below them. Moku goes to the windowsill, but the goddess beats her to it. Soon, her calm composure is staring down at a cowering Izumi, who very much regrets having called out to her friend. While the inexperienced warrior trembles and keeps her head low, almost as if hoping it will be enough to avoid being recognized, the goddess smiles down benevolently at her.

"I see that my love has given its fruits."

Moku stares at the goddess in confusion, before realizing what she means by those words.

***

"Don't you _ever_ pull something like this again! Understand? We're on a mission here! We _have_ to stay together! At all times!" Izumi chided, pointing an accusing finger at Moku, before she went back to using that arm to hold her injured Espeon. They were in the street now - Aya had stayed in the temple, or was otherwise far enough from Izumi that the young woman no longer had to fear her.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. I don't know what got me." Moku said, holding her head low, sincerely contrite. Izumi was surprised by her reply - had Aya had such a powerful effect on her?

"No, I think you do. I think you know _what got you_ very well." Raimundo objected, very calmly.

"Excuse me?" Moku sharply turned to face Raimundo, her painted lips forming a pout.

"What are your ties to the Uesugi?" inquired Raimundo, his tone harsh.

"I don't have to tell you." Moku folded her arms over her chest. It was clear that she was now back to being her grumpy old self.

"Stop bickering, you two!" Izumi interrupted them. "As for you, Raimundo! I think it's established now that you were lying, about Fontaine being the first kingdom in Ransei that you visited! You spent a long time in Terrera first, didn't you? And maybe you have ties with the Takeda administration there, too! Which would explain your wariness of the Uesugi."

"Ah... who knows?" With a smirk, Raimundo shrugged and leaned limply against his Rhydon's side.

"Oh, I'll tell you who _will_ know! Lords Motochika and Chikayasu, through the next letter I'm writing them!" Izumi retorted. With her arms firmly closed around her Espeon, she began walking forward at a brisk, nervous pace - she couldn't wait to be out of Illusio and leave it _way_ behind her. "We'll see how smug you feel then!"

The limber Raimundo climbed onto his Rhydon's back and sat on its shoulder with a self-satisfied grin, hands folded on his lap and legs close together, a lady's sitting pose. "I doubt they will be very shocked. I've always been very open to them about my past and my... sometimes conflicting loyalties. Anything you may write will hardly be news to them..." He waved a hand in a frivolous, dismissive gesture.

It was Izumi's turn to pout despondently. "Well, I'm still going to write my report to them. It's nothing personal, Raimundo, but I simply don't trust you anymore. I just can't help but wonder what else you've been lying to us about, or neglecting to tell us."

Moku nodded and smiled approvingly at Izumi's words, but the younger woman ignored her. She held her Espeon closer to her chest and kept walking East, forward. Too many shadows of her past were behind her, purple roofs basking in the fading daylight, and she was too scared of them to check whether they were trying to catch up to her and devour her or were simply sitting peacefully and expecting a friendly visit from her. In front of her, her destiny awaited, and the past was only a heavy load slowing her step.

***

Meanwhile, far away, another confused youth, this one facing West, held his injured Pokémon in his arms and contemplated his future, the setting sun in his eyes. A single bead of cold sweat ran down Nobuchika's temple. "We lost, Father." he announced, though it was nothing that the warlord didn't already know.

"So be it." Replied Motochika. After a final strum on his shamisen, the ruler of Fontaine unceremoniously left the instrument on the ground and went to recover his fainted Oshawott. Then, with the small Water Pokémon in his arms, he walked over to where the twin rulers of Aurora stood, victorious, their tired, yet still lively Eevees on their shoulders.

Nobuchika saw their mouths move, and their words reached his ears. Nobuchika's home, the only kingdom the boy had ever known and the land he had been told he was destined to rule, was now going to be administered by the Aurora twins until the Chousokabe army could reclaim it in another battle... It all seemed so unreal. Where would they go now? Unlike his father, Nobuchika had never traveled outside of Fontaine... Dispossessed of their land and castle, would they now have to travel from kingdom to kingdom and live the life of the _ronin_? As adventurous as it sounded, Nobuchika doubted that he, who had spent almost every single night of his life sleeping in a comfortable bed in the magnificent castle, attended by numerous servants, would adapt quickly to that kind of lifestyle...

" _WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!_ "

... And then he remembered that there was someone who, in this new situation, would be much worse off than him, being as spoiled and fussy as he was. Now more furious than ever, Morichika left the edge of the battlefield and walked closer to his brother, dragging his fainted Wooper by the tail.

"Morichika!" Nobuchika reprimanded him. "You're hurting Wooper again!"

Still holding Wooper by the tail, Morichika raised his arm and brought it up to his face. Its unfeeling body dangled limply. "I'm not hurting it, see? Can't hurt it if it's fainted. Besides, it's easier to carry it like this..."

Nobuchika pressed his folded fan against his forehead, barely keeping himself from using it to smack his brother. "Morichika... If you keep mistreating Wooper, there's no way your link and your strength in battle will grow! So it's in your interest to be more respectful of it!"

"Whatever! Anyway, it's all your fault that we lost, Brother!" Morichika pointed accusingly at Nobuchika. "You may be our father's heir and all, but you're so useless in battle, you might as well fight with a Magikarp, ever thought of that?"

Nobuchika knew that his brother's accusation was unfair, and he kept his cool, tapping his fan against his chin. "That may be a good idea, you know... I've always liked Magikarp as a species. Who knows, I might end up linking with one someday... Anyway! We are _ronin_ now."

"Gaaah!" Morichika yelled, kicking a nearby rock. "We no longer have our castle, and it's all your fault! Where are we going to sleep tonight?"

Nobuchika shrugged and maintained his composure. "I think the Aurora twins are benevolent enough to let us make preparations and sleep here tonight and depart in the morning. I think Father's arranging for that right now." He tilted his chin at the three of them talking a few feet away. Although they had won, the twins didn't seem hostile - they were smiling and nodding their heads at whatever Motochika seemed to be suggesting.

"And _I_ think our clan's ruined! For good!" Morichika stomped his feet violently against the ground.

"Not necessarily, Brother." Nobuchika sat down next to his fainted Panpour. Soon, servants would come with the necessary medicine to revive it. In the meantime, the Chousokabe heir stroked the small Pokémon's brightly colored fur. "Not necessarily..."

***

Izumi had to stop in her tracks when a Zubat stopped in flight about half an inch from her nose. She was about to shoo it away, and her Espeon, now conscious, hopped down from her arms and got into a fighting stance, preparing to attack. "Hey, you, watch where you're-" But then, Izumi noticed a small paper scroll attached to the Zubat's tail. "Oh. A message... For me?" The Zubat remained still, waiting for Izumi to pick it up. She gently removed it and unrolled it before her eyes. She gasped, a reaction that couldn't possibly go unnoticed by her traveling companions.

"What is it?" Moku and Raimundo asked impatiently, almost in unison.

Izumi took a deep breath and cleared her throat before announcing, "The Chousokabe army is no more."


	5. The City in the Sky

At the all too familiar sound, he awakes with a start, his breath catching in his throat. It's been the same every night, and it's gotten much worse since he came back from his trip to the faraway kingdom. Or maybe it has always been this bad, and he simply refused to see it until now... Recently, he's come to the conclusion that he is extremely good at convincing himself of things that are not true. A safety mechanism, possibly the worst of them all.

She's at his side, sitting up, each one of her violent coughs making her body bend and their mattress shake.

"Not again..." he pulls her close to him. His arms are steady, but his hands tremble with worry. Her body, so small and defenseless in his hold, jolts forward at every cough, and he's lost, with no idea what to do. He saw her take the medicine earlier that night... so what can be done?

Thankfully, the coughs begin to decrease, their rhythm slowing, and his panic subsides along with them. He rubs her back in an attempt to give her warmth, and finds her even skinnier than he remembered. And yet, her hair is as fair as it has always been, and her eyes are as crystalline as ever as she turns her head to give him a look of gratitude... her beauty lingers, deceitfully concealing her ill health.

The coughing fit has ended, though who knows how many others there will be tonight, and tomorrow, and tomorrow night as well. He holds her closer, gently, lovingly. "I will not let you go, Hiroko."

Her weak, ethereal laughter fills the room. "You will have to, my Lord."

***

Izumi hummed a popular song as she walked, with her Espeon trotting along at her side. She didn't want to say it out loud and jinx it, but... things had been going exceptionally well. Haru, her Espeon, had recovered pretty much fully, and all three people in her travel party had one new Pokémon. Izumi had bonded with a Ralts near the border of Illusio, Moku had become friends with a Croagunk who lived on the lakeside, and Raimundo had found a Charmander - now a Charmeleon - who knows where. And because Moku and Raimundo were now so busy training their new partners, their bickering had been almost nonexistent, which was a bit of a miracle. And then, there was the fact that all three were in agreement about the fact that, even though the Chousokabe army had been officially disbanded, their mission needed to continue regardless. Everything was going the way it should have been from the start! Three peasant warriors, people who can communicate with Pokémon wordlessly but with nowhere as many needs as their blue-blooded counterparts, working as a team and getting stronger day after day on their long journey North. What could possibly go wrong?

Come to think of it, something was a little odd. Izumi stopped, the rest of the party stopping along with her, and pulled out her map. "Shouldn't we have reached the kingdom of Avia by now?" According to the map, they were on the right track, and they should have been able to see the city and castle of Avia from where they were standing. Instead, all that was in front of them was a bunch of enormously tall rocky peaks towering above the dense woods and jutting high into the sky, their tops impossible to see through the thick layer of clouds that they pierced. Alongside them, and almost identical when seen from a distance, was a series of enormous stone pillars, clearly man-made, whose tops were covered by the dense clouds, probably homages to Arceus or another Pokémon deity. There were no houses, paths - the one they were following seemed to end abruptly a small distance away - or any other signs of human presence.

Moku looked disconsolately at the ground. "Maybe the whole kingdom was destroyed by Nobunaga..." Sensing her sudden sadness, her two Pokémon moved closer to her.

By contrast, Raimundo giggled merrily. "How little you know about the land you were born and raised in! Why is it that I, a foreigner, must be your guide?"

Impatiently, Izumi quirked an eyebrow. "What are you going on about, Raimundo?"

The foreign merchant pointed to the odd natural scenery before them. "See those rocky peaks, and the stone pillars?"

Moku shrugged. "It's _all_ we can see."

"Above the clouds, the tops of the peaks are actually flat." Raimundo continued, smirking in self-satisfaction. "That's where most of the houses and shops in Avia are. And the stone pillars may look like giant obelisks of sorts when seen from here, but they are actually the base of Avia's castle. In other words... Avia is a city in the sky."

A moment of silence followed.

"A city in the sky..." Izumi repeated, mesmerized as she looked up, trying, to no avail, to see what was beyond the cloud layer. Then, her eyes widened and she seemed to panic. "How the hell are we supposed to get up there?"

"Avia is only accessible via Flying-type Pokémon." Raimundo explained.

Izumi remained in silence for a moment, thoughtful. "Oh, it's okay! No big deal. We can work with that. Moku has a Crobat that can carry her up there, and she'll do the shopping for us, too, while we remain here."

Raimundo recoiled in horror. "You're going to put _her_ in charge of buying our supplies?! What does a woman of the street know about the art of bargaining?! Such things are better left to me!"

Moku growled unintelligibly like an animal, and Izumi sighed. There went the truce between her older traveling companions... "I don't think she'll let you borrow her Crobat, so..."

"Ah, that is not what I have in mind at all, my dear!" said Raimundo with his usual, musical lilt.

"Then _what_ do you have in mind?" Izumi tilted her head perplexedly.

Raimundo twirled on the spot once, the black silk of his kimono whipping around him as he did so. "It is time, Charmeleon!" As he did so, his new Pokémon stepped forward and roared, before its whole body started glowing a bright light.

Surprised and impressed, Izumi covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, I don't believe it... it's..."

Folding his skinny arms over his chest, Raimundo nodded proudly. The bright light obscured the occurring changes as the Fire type's body expanded, growing larger and taller and sprouting wings while its neck and tail elongated. Finally, the light faded, and what was Charmeleon merely seconds before was now a magnificent specimen of Charizard.

"I-it evolved!" Izumi stuttered. "But... but how? You only just got it..."

"You underestimate my talent as a Pokémon trainer." Raimundo gloated. "The moment I learned we were going to make a stop in Avia, I knew we were going to need a powerful, flying creature to get there... Which explains why Charmeleon, well, Charizard now, and I have been training so intensively!"

"Are you guys done?" Moku protested, and Izumi and Raimundo briefly looked around for her to see that she had already taken flight, her Crobat carrying her by the shoulders while she held her Croagunk under one arm. "Let's just go."

"Alright! It's time to test your new power out, Charizard!" Raimundo announced to his Pokémon. Obediently, the orange dragon lowered itself to allow Raimundo to climb onto its back.

"I'll just stay here and watch our things with your Rhydon, Raimundo." Izumi suggested meekly.

"Oh, now, don't be ridiculous! Rhydon alone is a more than sufficient guard for the equipment we're leaving here. You're coming, too." Raimundo patted his hand against his Charizard's back, showing Izumi that there was plenty of room for a second passenger.

"But it's..." Izumi's gaze traveled to the sky again, searching for visible signs of the kingdom of Avia, to no avail. "It's way up high, and I'm scared..." she confessed.

"That would be a valid excuse, if you weren't a warrior, that is!" Moku yelled from above them. "Now, get a move on! My Pokémon and I are starving!"

"A-alright, I'm... I'm coming!" Izumi decided. She picked her Espeon up in her arms and sat on the Charizard's back, behind Raimundo, who instructed his Rhydon to keep watch over their heavier travel equipment before commanding his new Fire type to take flight. Izumi was instantly surprised - even though Charizard had just gained the use of its wings, it flew expertly and confidently, as if it had done nothing else all its life. Even when she could no longer feel the ground below them, and instead felt the sudden change of pressure in her ears, Izumi felt unexpectedly safe... though she held Haru closer to her and closed her eyes to avoid looking down and feeling dizzy.

The Charizard and Crobat rose high into the air and disappeared in the layer of clouds.

***

She sits on the floor and watches the falling snow behind the window, falling even now that all the other kingdoms in Ransei are at the peak of their energy for the summer season, falling perpetually. She sways her head from side to side, to the rhythm of a song that exists only in her mind.

"I would not mind going now. I have had a good life." she declares to her husband, who sits next to her.

"... Please, do not say such things." His head falls forward, and his long, black bangs along with it.

"I have met you... I am your wife... we have a beautiful daughter who is growing up, and will soon become someone's wife herself..."

"Tama still has much to learn, before she can call herself an adult. Tama still needs you..." his voice gains a pleading edge.

Her laughter is always so pure and beautiful, even in the face of what is to come. "Come on, now. Gracia doesn't need anyone. Not even you."

"I have faith in Tama. Yet she is but a child - one that you and I must keep a watchful eye on."

She shakes her head gently, her beautiful, flowing hair moving along with it. "It is still so hard for you to truly understand her... You won't even use the name she has chosen for herself..." She rises slowly and moves closer to the balcony with slow, featherlight steps.

He quickly gets to his feet in turn, alarmed. "Don't go outside! It's too cold...!"

But she ignores him and steps into the cold weather anyway, diamond dust falling onto the gold of her hair. The irony, that she looks so beautiful even when her body is ailed so severely... Her balance falters, and he sees it, but when she grabs the railing to lean against it, she purportedly makes it look like a casual gesture. She keeps swaying her snow-covered head contentedly as she watches her daughter, a young general and a group of Ice and Psychic Pokémon play in the snow down below.

"There are two things you must promise me, my Lord."

"I..." he can feel he's on the verge of tears. "I'll do anything... Anything for you, Hiroko..."

"The first - let Gracia do as she pleases with her life. Do not arrange a marriage for her, but do find her a good husband if she openly wishes for one. If she expresses no such wish, do not force or push her into marriage."

"I promise! I could never do that to Tama, rest assured." He comes to her side and catches the hand that isn't on the railing in his. He finds that hand to be so cold, it almost scares him.

She doesn't push him away, but she seems oblivious to her hand being held. She's already in a different realm, and he's once again filled with that feeling of powerlessness. She smiles sweetly. "Of course you couldn't... You are always so gentle and kind... You are the best husband a woman could ever want..."

"What is the second promise I must make?" he asks, a little impatiently.

"The second thing that you must promise me is..." she falls then, suddenly dropping to her knees like a tree branch coming off due to being too heavy with snow.

He is quick to catch her in his arms, however. His heart begins racing, but he soon sees that she's still conscious. Bringing his face close to hers reveals that her breathing is regular. She opens her eyes and smiles weakly - maybe all she needs is a long, restful sleep untroubled by the coughing fits. "I'm taking you inside." he announces, lifting her up. His heart sinks again when he finds that she is so easy to carry - she likely weighs even less than little Gracia now.

Her voice is but a whisper now. "The second thing you must promise me is..."

***

Golbat, Rufflet, Staravia, even a Staraptor... and spears, lots of spears, that the soldiers of Avia were pointing at the three newcomers as they encircled them. Clearly, they weren't happy. Quite the opposite, in fact...

"Okay, I get it! You don't like intruders, or any other people who show up here uninvited!" A drop of cold sweat ran down Izumi's temple as she attempted to shield herself with her palms open in front of her.

By contrast, Raimundo seemed exceptionally calm, probably confident in his Charizard's power. "Of course they don't! That is why the kingdom of Avia was built like this in the first place."

"You! The man with red eyes! Where are you from?" One of the soldiers asked.

"Ah, _meu caro_!" Raimundo began, with a flippant wave of his hand. "If I gave you a _name_ , there's no way it would be familiar to you, or to anyone here... Let's just say I am from the other side of the ocean and be done with it, shall we?"

Quirking an eyebrow, the man that had questioned Raimundo turned to his fellow soldiers. "Could he be one of those merchants that our lord wants to get a hold of?"

Before the soldiers could reply, Raimundo spoke again. "You'll find that none of _those merchants_ is better, more reliable and more well-connected than myself. If I were your lord, I would definitely want to _get a hold_ of me..."

Izumi heard Moku huff under her breath. " _Reliable_ , he says... Humph..."

"Be quiet." Izumi whispered to her.

"Well, then. You're coming with us." The soldier decided. "We're taking you to see him."

"Can my friends come, too?" Raimundo asked.

"No, but if you can guarantee that they won't cause trouble, we'll let them go free." the soldier answered. "Of course, if they _do_ end up causing trouble, there will be consequences for you as well." his tone was somewhat threatening as he said that.

" _Them_ , causing _trouble_?" Raimundo replied, feigning surprise. "Oh, no way! They're the meekest little angels, the two of them."

"Very well. Let's go." The soldier unceremoniously grabbed Raimundo by the arm.

"Ah, such strong hands, calloused with experience..." Raimundo cooed flirtatiously as he was carried away by the group of soldiers and Pokémon.

The soldiers leaving meant that Izumi and Moku had finally been left alone. Izumi stared wide-eyed at the soldiers and Raimundo as they headed towards the castle, and wondered what just happened.

As for Moku, she smacked the palm of her hand against her face. "It's as I've always thought, Izumi... we have to do something about the foreigner! To him, our mission is only an occasion to pursue his personal interests as a merchant! What just happened couldn't have made it any clearer."

"Not necessarily, Moku..." Izumi objected. "Don't forget that Avia is one of the kingdoms that have sided with Nobunaga. If the three of us show benevolence towards an ally of Nobunaga's like the Lord of Avia, it may be our gateway to traveling North and joining Lord Mitsuhide's forces without arousing too much suspicion. That must be what Raimundo has in mind."

Moku rolled her eyes. "That's way too far-fetched. I think the foreigner is just out to make money, as can only be expected of a merchant."

"And _I_ don't think that's the case. Now that that's established, let's go find a shop." Now that nobody impeded their step any longer, Izumi began walking, Haru following her closely as always. Izumi looked at her feet as she walked, immersed in her own musings. "Here's what I don't understand about you, Moku. From what I understand about your religion, you worship Arceus as the embodiment of the love that pervades all things in the Universe, right? Then, if you truly think that, shouldn't you have an enthusiastic outlook about life? You always act like you've seen it all, and everything is so bad and corrupt and negative and nothing surprises you anymore... Why don't you ever say things like-"

"This... this is incredible!" came Moku's voice.

"For instance." Izumi nodded to herself. She did a double take, however, when she realized that Moku's remark had been addressed at something very specific. She raised her eyes and followed Moku's gaze, to find that she was staring at a man, her eyes wide open. The man, tall and rather handsome, though strangely dressed and with a Carnivine at his side, seemed to return her surprise and confusion.

"Are you..." Followed by her Croagunk and Crobat, Moku stepped hesitantly towards the man, staring in awe with the very same expression that Izumi remembered seeing on the faces of several young girls of Fontaine when they approached Motochika after one of his concerts. Izumi was quite sure she had never seen Moku ogle a man like that before. "Are you Magoichi? Magoichi Saika?"

As the man approached Moku, there was recognition in his eyes, which Izumi thought was a good thing, but she didn't like how he stared at Moku up and down, his gaze very patently lingering on certain parts of the woman's body. "In the flesh, the one and only. And you are...? We've met before, right?" The man spoke with a bit of a tough-guy drawl. "I don't forget a pretty face like yours that easily."

Moku, who seemed oblivious to his blatant flirting, lowered her head and closed her eyes gravely. "Indeed we have. I'm Moku, from Akagi's monastery."

Magoichi's flirtatious smile vanished instantly at the mention of Moku's home. "Really? ... Damn." He lowered his head for a moment, one hand rubbing the back of it a little, and sincere compassion was in his eyes when he looked at Moku again. "I remember you guys. And I know what happened to you. Nobunaga got you last year, didn't he?"

Moku nodded gravely, her eyes closed. "During his campaign to conquer Viperia. He thought he'd torch our monastery and village to the ground while on his way to the castle. My Crobat and I, we're the only survivors I know of." She opened her eyes again, and her violet irises were burning with her deep hatred for the man who had stolen her life away.

"Gah, I'm sorry... They got Akagi, too?" Magoichi shook his head sympathetically. "I know you and him were close..."

"We were a couple." Moku promptly corrected him. "If you're here, in a Nobunaga-aligned kingdom... it means they got you guys, too, right?"

Magoichi nodded his head, and Moku lowered hers in turn, her eyes respectfully closed once again. A long moment of silence followed, broken by Magoichi himself. "But, eh, I'm a mercenary now, and business is good."

Moku sighed. "A small consolation, for us who have lost everything. I'm a mercenary now, too."

Magoichi stroked his stubbly chin and smirked knowingly. "Really? What _kind_ of mercenary?"

Moku sighed. " _All_ kinds." She admitted. "It hasn't been easy for me..." her head fell forward again. This time, Magoichi stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her. Kindness was in his gesture as well as a few ill intentions, and Izumi, who all along had been listening to their conversation, couldn't tell which of the two prevailed. Moku didn't push Magoichi away, in spite of the fact that, ever since the beginning of their encounter, he had shown a tendency to invade her personal space pretty often. Izumi wasn't sure whether to take that as a good, or a bad sign...

Either way, perhaps it was time to make her presence known. She cleared her throat loudly. "Just go on and keep acting like I'm not here or anything..."

Magoichi was about to say something, but Moku interrupted him. "Why don't you leave us alone for a while, Izumi? We'll meet in front of the Ponigiri shop in, say, a couple of hours." She looked up at Magoichi, regarding him with respect and adoration. "Magoichi and I have a lot of catching up to do."

"We certainly do." Magoichi smiled, and, again, Izumi wasn't quite sure whether she should like that expression or not.

Izumi rolled her eyes. "Of course! First, Mistress Aya, and then this... we are totally on this journey just so you can visit your friends in every corner of Ransei, Moku!"

Magoichi quirked an eyebrow, not knowing what Izumi was alluding to, while Moku's expression hardened. "Izumi! You don't even know who Magoichi is and what he has done, so do me a favor, shut up and leave us alone!"

Izumi noticed something odd in Magoichi's expression - he almost seemed surprised that someone would defend him like that. But he soon relaxed, showing both women a smile of white, perfectly orderly teeth. "Now, now, Moku. Your friend can come along, too. The more, the merrier! Besides," he continued, ignoring Moku's huffing "isn't it best for us to tell our stories to other people? So they'll know what evils that bastard Nobunaga is capable of."

"What's the point?" Moku spat. "You even _serve_ Nobunaga now, so you'd only be harming your reputation!"

"Actually, I work for someone who has submitted to him of his own will. There's a difference." Magoichi corrected her.

"Whatever you say!" Moku folded her arms over her chest. "I just don't want Izumi to come along! I've got private matters to discuss with you."

"' _Private_ '?" Magoichi repeated with a laugh.

"Private." Moku insisted, frowning and turning away in an attempt to hide her blushing face.

When Magoichi next remarked how cute Moku looked when she blushed, Izumi decided that it was best to leave them alone - they were going to walk away anyway. All the younger woman did was remind Moku that she had to show up at the Ponigiri shop two hours later. As she ambled aimlessly, crossing the many, extraordinary bridges that made it possible to walk across clouds to reach different mountain peaks, Izumi scolded herself inwardly. How could she be so weak? She had not asserted itself strongly in any way. While their original intention was to just shop in Avia and then continue their journey, their small group had just dissolved in the span of not even a half-hour, both her partners leaving for who knows how long in the pursuit of personal interests. Now their journey to Nixtorm would likely fall off schedule... And it was all Izumi's fault, for not saying anything! She had not said anything when Raimundo was taken to the castle, and she had not said anything just now, when Moku wanted to be alone with Magoichi. To think she had imagined herself as the glue holding their little group together... "I have failed, guys..." she confessed to the Espeon and Ralts trotting next to her. "I have failed Lord Motochika..." She sighed as she contemplated the vast sea of clouds before and below her. "I just can't seem to do anything right."

The particular bridge which Izumi was crossing led to what was probably the only green area among the gray rocky peaks of the kingdom above the clouds. Avia's Sky Garden, a training area and a home for wild Pokémon, a splendid expanse of grass magically floating a great distance from the ground thanks to an underlying structure of mystical stones. Izumi smiled at the groups of Flying-type Pokémon inhabiting the garden and found a large tree in whose shade she could sit. Above the clouds, the sunlight was strong, at times almost unbearable. The tree's fresh shade provided comfort, and Izumi was a little surprised that no one seemed to have had the same idea she had, which meant she was the only human in the garden.

She hugged both her Pokémon close and closed her eyes. There they were, just the three of them, on a floating platform countless feet above ground. Alone and isolated from anything that was normal, on a mission to help restore sanity to the war-torn land which, below them, quietly waited for their return like a worried mother who knows that her children are going to come home late at night. "Okay, guys..." she sighed yet again. "So much for my resolution of not having the gang ever split up again... I guess I messed up. But that doesn't mean I can't make up for it somehow..." She began rocking gently. With a little luck, Ralts would fall asleep and rest a little. Admittedly, Izumi saw the tinier Pokémon as a baby, rather than an actual fighter, and had used it very rarely in battle. "Unlike me, Lord Motochika has so much spirit and determination... I wonder what he would say to me, if he saw me now..."

_You already know what must be done. Go on, and do it._

Izumi blinked at her Ralts, dumbfounded. Was it the little Pokémon who had spoken using telepathy...? With its disproportionately large head sleepily nodding forward, it seemed so helpless... how could it have mastered a skill that even Izumi's experienced Espeon lacked?

***

He can feel the warmth of her breath. She's alive, but unconscious, and he panics. It's always been bad, but it was never _this_ bad. He can't lose her now, not when their daughter is still so young, not when his life is about to change so much...

"Someone! Someone, help!" he cries out in anguish. But his voice bounces emptily off the castle walls. Only his Lapras and her Froslass slip quietly into the room, and he can't think of a use for them. Where is everyone else? The castle is so big... Are there truly no servants around...? And then he remembers that he can barely afford employing people. Most of the crops have perished under the heavy snowfall, and profit from the gold mine mostly goes directly to _that person_ these days.

Her body is so cold, and he holds her close, always hoping that his warmth will somehow transfer to her... But he has to leave her with the Pokémon for a moment as he goes into the balcony and shouts to the people playing in the snow. "Tama! Hidemitsu! Come here, now!"

A moment later, he's looking at their daughter's eyes, as green as the seasons that Nixtorm lacks, as her world comes crumbling down. "Mother! What is happening to you?!" she cries out, a warm rain of her tears falling on her mother's rich silk robe.

This is it, the moment when she realizes that her mother isn't going to be there for her anymore, that Tama will be alone with her father from now on... But, unexpectedly, her mother stirs, as if instinct demanded that she summon the strength to answer the call of her crying child. She opens her eyes, and all the snow that has ever fallen on Nixtorm seems to dance in them.

***

Izumi was lucky. On her way back from the Sky Garden, her steps led her onto a bridge where Moku and Magoichi were conversing, and, although Magoichi had an arm wrapped around the older woman, neither of his hands were dishonorably placed on her body. As accepting of his... affections as she was, Moku still probably found small ways to keep him at bay, Izumi figured. That, or he wasn't as sleazy as he had seemed after all. Perhaps there was a little hope. Izumi waved to them as she ran in their direction, her two Pokémon following her. "Moku! Magoichi!"

"What do you want?" Moku spat as soon as she saw Izumi approach. "I told you I want to be left alone with Magoichi!"

Izumi looked at her Pokémon hesitantly for a moment. Both Ralts and Haru nodded in unison. Izumi then turned to Moku and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, it's been two hours. Time's up! If there is something else you need to tell him, I'll hear it, too, while we're on our way to Avia Castle."

Moku took a step back, which resulted in her leaning closer to Magoichi's chest. The mercenary's eyes widened at the woman's sudden proximity. "I already told you these are private matters!"

"We have been brought together to be a _team_ , Moku." Izumi insisted, a look of determination on her face. "And being a team means that we have to be open about everything to each other! We can't afford to have any secrets between us, and frankly, I think there are way too many!"

Moku huffed, as she always did. "Go tell that to the foreigner, not to me! He's the one who has been telling lies and cheating us into doing what he wanted."

"You're just as bad as him!" Izumi replied. "You've never told all of your story to me and Raimundo... you've faced Nobunaga in the past and you haven't told us anything you may know about him, about what to expect..."

" _WHAT IS THERE TO SAY?!_ " Moku shrieked suddenly, and Magoichi had to hold her back to keep her from throwing herself at Izumi. Tears of anger appeared in Moku's eyes. "All I know about him is that, one night, he took away everything and everyone I held dear... and the same happened to Magoichi! Which is why he and I have so much in common! We're both _survivors_!"

Moku fell silent then, and Magoichi rocked her gently in his arms, as if trying to soothe a baby. For once, that was a gesture that Izumi thought appropriate. As for Izumi, she stood on the bridge, impassive.

"You really should tell them everything, Moku... about your life in the monastery, about that night... You'll feel much better once you do that, trust me." Whispering patiently into Moku's ear, Magoichi was suggesting something reasonable. Maybe Izumi had underestimated him.

"I know, but it's so hard..." Moku sobbed in reply.

"Hey, Magoichi." Izumi spoke, pretending to ignore Moku's state. "So, you work for the lord of Avia...?"

"Yeah, Masamune's my employer." Magoichi said, stroking Moku's hair. "Why?"

"Do you think I could be granted an audience with him, through you?" Izumi asked boldly.

"An audience with a commoner..." Magoichi repeated, stroking his chin. "I don't really think that's possible... he's not the sort to be taken in by pretty women as easily as I am."

"Our friend, a merchant from the other side of the ocean, was taken to his castle. We need him back." Izumi said.

"Is that all? You don't need an audience for _that_." Magoichi turned his steps towards the castle, pulling a thoughtful and unresponsive Moku along. "I'm warning you, though - it won't be easy." he pointed a lazy finger at Izumi, as if to admonish her.

Izumi pouted. "You're not going to ask for money or favors in return, are you?"

"I may. We'll see how it goes." Magoichi smirked and led the way, still dragging Moku along.

Izumi took a deep breath and briefly checked on her Pokémon, before she started following Magoichi to the castle. She didn't have to panic and lose her heart like she had. It would all be over in a moment, the three of them would be reunited and ready to depart from Avia, their Pokémon and supplies replenished and ready to travel all the way to Nixtorm with only a few stops left. All that was left to do was reach the castle and fetch Raimundo, who, no doubt, was also as eager to leave as Izumi was...

"No. I'm not leaving."

Izumi's eyes widened in shock. "What do you mean, you're not leaving?!"

Izumi and Moku had spotted Raimundo from down below, as he approached a window. Moku's Crobat did the rest, allowing the two women to sneak into the castle. Magoichi's mediation had not been necessary, after all, which spared Izumi from having to reward him in some way. They were now in an elegantly furnished room with an unusually high ceiling, ample enough to accommodate Raimundo's huge Charizard and Rhydon. As far as they could tell, that impressive room was for Raimundo's private use.

"I'm staying here." Raimundo walked to the large window from which Moku and Izumi had entered.

"Why? Have you forgotten our mission, Raimundo?" Izumi asked, now positively seething with indignation.

By contrast, Raimundo's voice was calm. With a sweep of his hand, he gestured to the network of buildings among dense, white clouds that lay below them. "Just look at this place. A city in the sky! A whole new realm, which no man before Lord Masamune has ever dared to conquer..."

Moku and Izumi also went to the window. Their gazes followed Raimundo's gesture, unconvinced.

"Avia is one of the richest kingdoms in Ransei." Raimundo continued. "And yet, there are no farms, fields or gold mines up here... Trade is all it thrives on. Even their aligning with Nobunaga is a just means to protect their trade interests..." He turned towards Izumi, widened red eyes seeking her understanding. "All the wonders and innovations that you see here are the fruits of trade! I have only exchanged a few words with Lord Masamune, but he has a vision, and it's one I share... he, too, knows that trade is the key to a shining future for us all!" But Izumi's disapproval lingered, very patent on her face, and, after a long sigh, Raimundo desisted. "And who better than me, the best foreign merchant in Ransei, to assist him with that?"

"Our mission!" Izumi growled impatiently, too angry to form a coherent sentence, her brow tense and her hands balling into fists at her sides.

Raimundo nodded and placed a hand on the windowsill. "Yes, about that. I abandon our mission here. I have already made several advantageous arrangements with Lord Masamune, and he has even allowed me to have a personal office within this castle, the one you see here."

Moku lifted her eyebrows. "This Masamune sure moves fast, huh."

Izumi squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip. "You're the worst, Raimundo! The Takeda... The Chousokabe... and now the... the... what's the name of Lord Masamune's clan?"

"The Date." Raimundo answered.

"That." Izumi's eyes snapped open. "Just make up your mind already, Raimundo! Which side are you on?!"

"The side that pays more. Just like myself." A second man's voice came from the other side of the room - Magoichi, who had just spoken, had appeared in the doorway along with his Carnivine. And with them was someone else - a young warrior clad in green and black, with an extravagent war helmet and an eyepatch where his right eye should have been.

"Thinking you can just sneak into my castle unnoticed... imbeciles!" The younger warrior spoke. "Let's show them that we are not to be taken lightly! Go, Braviary!" At his command, a huge eagle-like Pokémon flew into the room from behind him, letting out a screeching cry as it darted towards Izumi.

"Haru!" Izumi commanded her Espeon, who stepped up in front of her and braced himself for the imminent fight.

"Hey, go easy on them, alright?" Magoichi told the young warrior. "They're girls... and rather attractive ones at that. Not to mention that the one with violet hair and I go way back."

"Then what are you waiting for?! Just take her as a prisoner, while I deal with the other one. Sky Drop, now!"

"Haru, no!" Izumi could only watch helplessly as Braviary's talons easily took hold of her Espeon's lithe body and snatched him off the ground and into the air, flying higher and higher until it reached the ceiling.

"The ceiling isn't high enough!" The warrior with the eyepatch yelled to his Pokémon, his face red with rage. "Take it out the window!"

"Masamune!" Magoichi intervened, surprised by the boy's cruelty.

Izumi watched in horror as the Braviary obeyed the warrior's command and carried her lifelong Pokémon partner out the window, keeping Haru suspended at a height higher than Ransei's tallest mountains. "NO! No, please... please don't!" she pleaded. "You're... you're Lord Masamune, right?"

"You imbecile! You defy me, and you're not even sure who I am?" Masamune spat. "Of course I'm Date Masamune, the strongest warrior in Ransei!"

Izumi fell to her knees, and her face touched the floor. "Please, have mercy... Moku and I will leave now. We were just trying to get the merchant to come with us..."

"Well, you can forget about it!" Masamune said, folding his arms over his chest. "He works for me now, so he follows _my_ orders!"

"Alright, I get it..." Izumi said. "Just... please leave Haru alone..."

All Masamune did was nod in the direction of his Braviary, who caught that instruction and flew back inside, unceremoniously dropping the Espeon onto the floor. Izumi ran to her Pokémon and took him in her arms - the fall, although nowhere as bad as the one he was risking just seconds before, had still hurt a bit. "Thank Arceus you're safe..." she murmured.

"You didn't even put up a fight..." Masamune sneered and shook his head as he walked to the door, his Braviary following him. "Imbeciles... I just wasted my time here! Magoichi! Make sure that she leaves!" And with those words, the lord of the castle of Avia stormed out the room.

But Izumi didn't seem inclined to leave, as she held her Espeon and nursed it. She felt guilty that she hadn't been quick enough to order an attack to somehow sabotage the Sky Drop before it was too late... Magoichi figured that he should give her a little time to recover, before he escorted her out. Now that she had seen what Masamune was capable of, she was entirely harmless. "Raimundo... Is there really nothing that will make you change your mind?" Izumi pleaded weakly.

Raimundo was still standing by the window, and shook his head. "One day, Izumi... One day, maybe you will understand. When you grow old, perhaps the future that Lord Masamune and I envision will already be a reality..."

"You're not making any sense." Izumi concluded, and decided to herself that it was best to just focus on her injured Pokémon.

"So, Moku." Wearing a somewhat sleazy smile, Magoichi approached the older woman. "It will be dark before long, and you heard Masamune - I'm allowed to take you as prisoner."

Moku sighed. "Alright. I needed somewhere to spend the night anyway."

"And what a night you'll have." Magoichi tried to gaze intensely into her eyes, but Moku averted them.

"Here's the thing, Magoichi... as much as I've always liked you..." that admission alone made Moku's cheeks turn a deep red. But she tried to dispel her blush, shaking her head. "The truth is... I haven't gotten over Akagi yet, so..."

Surprisingly, Magoichi seemeed to understand. He smiled a gentler smile and nodded. "You can take your time, of course. I'm going to respect that, don't worry. But... if he's watching you from wherever he is now, I think he'd be happy to see you move on with your life." As he said so, he stroked his thumb across Moku's chin.

"Y-you think so?" Moku stammered, her blush deepening.

"Get a room, you two." Izumi fumed.

"We were about to do just that." Magoichi replied to the younger woman, winking. "When you're ready to leave, the servants will show you the exit. I'll see you around, maybe." Wrapping an arm around Moku's waist, he led her out of the room, their Pokémon following them.

Izumi, Raimundo and their Pokémon were alone in the room now. The palpable silence between the two humans almost counted as a presence of its own.

"Well, I have nothing more to say to you, I guess." Izumi finally said, standing with her Espeon in his arms. "Other than... I really hope that you change your mind."

" _Até breve_." Raimundo said.

"Is that 'goodbye' in your language?"

"It's 'see you soon'."

Izumi walked to the door, her Ralts following her. But before she went out, she stopped. "Raimundo... you have proven undeserving of my trust and Moku's ever since our mission began. But I can't help but feel... that if only you changed a little... you would be a good friend."

"I am a merchant, Izumi. I'll change when I have something to gain from it." Raimundo replied, his voice distant.

"Yeah, I thought so." Izumi sighed, and walked out into the corridor, where a guard guided her to an exit.

The sky had darkened and Izumi was under the tree in the Sky Garden for the second time that day. She might as well sleep there, she figured, since Haru was already asleep against her chest. Izumi's attempt to remedy her failure had just made the situation even worse...

"Is it possible that, when I act on my own like this, nothing ever goes right?" she asked aloud, knowing that no reply would come from the grass, trees, Pokémon, stones, clouds and silent nature around her.

_Your strength is still lacking. In times like this, only a friend can help you realize the true power of your conviction._

Izumi turned towards her Ralts. "Yeah, but my friends thought that these... Masamune and Magoichi guys were better than sticking with me, so... and to top it all off, without their Flying-type Pokémon to help me down, I can't leave on my own! I'm stuck up here and can't continue my mission! So here I am, all alone."

_But when you have Pokémon, and a dream to believe in... can you truly say you are alone?_

Izumi looked at Haru resting on her chest and gave him a small, affectionate squeeze. "I guess not, huh... Thank you." She extended a hand to pet Ralts' large head and smiled. "Actually, that may have given me an idea..." Just then, Haru woke up from its nap. A single look exchanged between Pokémon and human partner was enough for each of them to understand what the other had in mind.

Early in the next morning, Haru sneaked unnoticed into Avia Castle. His telepathic powers made his task infinitely easier. He was able to sense a human or Pokémon guard's presence from a distance, which enabled him to select the safest and least patrolled route to Raimundo's room with ease. Once there, he already knew he would have to face Raimundo's Charizard and Rhydon, who would be none too pleased to find him there. But they were surprised when they saw that Haru had not come to attack Raimundo, and, instead, merely wished to talk to them. The Espeon sat quietly, its small, cat-like body framed by two Pokémon several times bigger than himself, and told them of Nobunaga, of the menace that threatened to drown Ransei in darkness. Of how many had already succumbed to it, and those who had survived had been scarred deeply, some, like Moku, too proud to show it. He reminded Rhydon of its home of Terrera, of Takeda Shingen's renowned wisdom as a ruler. Of how everything that had made the famous and prosperous Terrera, along with all the other kingdoms of Ransei, places where humans and Pokémon could live together happily would change and be destroyed, if Nobunaga's advance was not stopped.

Moments later, Haru was escorting Rhydon to the castle's exit, while Charizard had simply flown out of a window.

Izumi sat on top of one of the peaks, her back against the wall of a building and her small Ralts next to her, and watched as the group of Pokémon approached her. "Ah-ha! There they are! And... oh." She squinted as she looked ahead. "Well, this is even better than I expected!"

Someone else was coming along with Charizard, Rhydon and Izumi's Espeon. It was Moku, her Crobat and Croagunk in tow. "Izumi!" she waved excitedly at her as she ran towards her. "Let's go spy on that bastard Nobunaga now!"

Izumi blinked at what seemed to her like a sudden change of heart on Moku's part. "So... you want to continue the mission? You don't want to stay here with Magoichi?"

Moku came to a stop a few feet from Izumi. "I'm not like that crazy foreigner." she said between pants. "If he wants to quit, I'm not going to miss him, that's a given." She smiled and turned to look at the magnificent castle she had just left behind her. "Magoichi and I talked all night."

"Of course." With a mischievous smile, Izumi lifted her hands and made air quotes. "You _talked_."

"Not like that!" Moku snapped, whipping her head around. "He told me... that he's settled for the life of the mercenary, but he always has his home in his heart..." Moku took a deep breath. "I want to do better than him. I've had enough of regret. I want revenge! The lives that were lost demand that I, who have survived..."

"Hold it right there." Izumi interrupted her impatiently, her arms signing 'time out'. "Are you still on board or not?"

"Of course I am! I can't wait to play a part in Nobunaga's fall!"

For the first time, Moku seemed genuinely excited about their mission. As for Izumi, she pouted disapprovingly. "Can you, like, keep it down? Need I remind you we're in a Nobunaga-aligned kingdom? Anyway, I'm glad you're still with us. Well, me. Well... us." Izumi glanced knowingly at her Ralts, but was surprised to receive no response whatsoever from the small Psychic-type.

The women heard steps and turned to see a furious Raimundo running toward them. "Izumi! So it was you who kidnapped my Pokémon!"

Izumi casually leaned back against the wall. "I didn't kidnap anybody. They came to me of their own accord."

"Well, give them back!" Raimundo demanded.

"You know how you've quit our mission? Well, _they_ haven't." Izumi made sure to show the foreigner the most sardonic smile she could muster. "And what's more..."

Suddenly, Raimundo felt his sides being grabbed in a strong vicegrip. Astonished, he looked down and recognized his Charizard's claws. The fire dragon's strong arms were now wrapped around him and lifting him off the ground.

"... They don't want you to quit, either." Izumi finished, moving to stand with her arms folded on her chest.

"You'll pay for this!" Raimundo seethed as his Charizard brought him into the air.

Izumi shrugged, the threat simply bouncing off her. "You'll thank me, one day." She gave him a small wave as the Charizard carried Raimundo in flight, to the edge of the peak they were standing on. " _Até breve_!" Izumi said mockingly, as the Charizard began his dive downwards, towards the ground.

" _AAAAAGH!_ "

Avia was filled with the echoes of Raimundo's anguished scream as his Charizard forcibly flew him down, and of the rumbling racket his Rhydon made as it rolled down the rocky peak while curled up into a ball.

Moku raised her eyebrows as she watched the Rhydon go, until it disappeared beneath the layer of clouds. "Thing is fast when it wants to be. Anyway, Izumi, are we going yet?"

Izumi tapped her foot against the ground as she looked perplexedly at her Ralts. "Uh... I need to go check something first." When Moku huffed impatiently, Izumi tried to reassure her. "I'm sorry! I'll only be gone a moment, I swear! Wait for me here, okay?"

Izumi dashed off, heading in the direction of the Sky Garden.

***

"The second thing you must promise me is..."

"Yes?" With his hand wrapped firmly around hers, always so reluctant to let her go, he holds back his tears.

"Don't... don't mourn me for too long. Better yet, forget me, if you can."

"What... what are you saying, my love?" He shakes his head. He almost can't believe what he's hearing. "You are such an important part of my life... How could I ever forget you?"

"I just don't want you to be alone." She smiles and her eyes fall half-closed as she lets her head sink against the pillow. "You're already the lonely sort as it is, and this isolated place only makes it all harder... Promise me you'll find someone else. You are an extraordinary man, and... I don't want to be the only one you have loved... I want to share that honor with someone else..."

As she speaks her last will, a whirlwind of feelings takes control of his heart, and his tears begin falling freely. There's the sorrow of losing her, anxiety about a dark, uncertain future that he will now have to face without her support... but there is something else. Guilt. And she is quick to catch it, in the depths of his blue eyes. In them is a different sea than the one they can see from the castle windows. A Southern sea.

"Oh!" Her eyes go wide open.

He fears her for a moment. He fears the judgement of those eyes he loves, on the brink of losing the life that even now imbues them with a shining light. She knows now, and he cowers and bows his head in shame.

But she smiles, now more radiantly than ever. She smiles with every word she says. "So you won't be alone... I'm so happy... Now I see there's nothing else I have to worry about... Then... maybe now, I can just... rest..."

" _Hiroko_!"

" _Mother_!"

She will smile forever.

***

As Izumi made her way across the Sky Garden, Haru running alongside her, she huffed to herself and slapped her palm against her forehead. "This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been raised in Illusio, among Psychic Pokémon, human psychics and all that..."

It had occurred to Izumi that the voice she had been hearing was an actual, completely normal _voice_ , as opposed to telepathic messages, which meant that all along, she hadn't been conversing with her Ralts, as she had thought.

"It's just that sometimes I just can't tell the _difference_!" Izumi complained. "Though you _knew_ , Haru, right? You could have said something." She pouted at her Espeon, who replied with an amused smile. Clearly, it simply had been too fun for the Pokémon to let his human partner believe what she wanted.

Once Izumi reached the tree under which she had rested for the night, she yelled out. "Come out! I know you're there!"

There was a rustling of leaves, and then a boy's voice, barely above a whisper. "Shhh! Father's still asleep."

Izumi blinked. She walked under the tree and looked up into the foliage. "How many of you are the-"

On three of the largest branches sat three men, their backs propped up against the trunk. All of whom Izumi recognized. All she could do was stare up at them, dumbfounded and wide-eyed. "May I ask... what are you doing in a tree, my Lords?"

Nobuchika leaped down from his tree branch with the agility he had picked up from his Panpour, who followed him with an identical movement. "We were looking for you! But Father found you first. And he played a bit of a prank on you yesterday... don't be offended. That's just Father for you." Nobuchika smiled and nodded up at the unmistakeable sleeping form of Motochika, the daimyou of Fontaine, who occupied another tree branch, while Morichika slept on the third.

"It still doesn't explain why you were in a tree, my Lord." Izumi was still blinking out of sheer disbelief.

Nobuchika shrugged. "The sunlight is much too strong up here! And as ronin, we don't have much money right now. Trees don't cost a thing, and it's always fresh in them! Besides, Morichika needs to learn about the wonders of the outdoors."

A snarl came from above their heads, clearly Morichika's. Evidently, the youngest Chousokabe was the only one who didn't seem too happy about their temporary living arrangement.

Izumi didn't quite know what to say. The entire situation was so absurd! By providing her advice by means of a prank, her Lord had made her find the strength in her to bring the group back together... and now he, a person of rank and indiscussed charisma even now that he had been dispossessed of his land, was fast asleep in a tree, several hours past dawn. Izumi had always known that Motochika was an eccentric Lord, but she didn't think him capable of something this outlandish... Then again, from one who dressed like he did, heedless of convention, fashion, decency or even logic, it was probably safer to expect everything...

A voice shook her from her thoughts. "Izumi? I was thinking..."

She obediently turned towards the young man who had spoken. "Yes, Lord Nobuchika?"

"While my father sleeps... why don't we go for a walk? I haven't had the chance to explore this garden much, and there are probably many Pokémon here that I've never seen before..."

"O-of course! I'll accompany you, my Lord."

There was much she had to tell and ask her young Lord. How were they able to reach Avia so fast, and without a Flying Pokémon? What was their opinion of Raimundo? For what reason had they decided to join their group, when from the beginning it had been established that Izumi's group and the Chousokabe court had to act separately? ... But the quiet atmosphere of the marvelous garden in the sky in the early morning made all words seem something crude, vulgar and out of place. Silence seemed the best option. A quiet contemplation of the beginning of a day that promised to be as eventful as the day before it.

And just when Izumi had resolved to spend that moment in peaceful, self-absorbed meditation, she felt Nobuchika's hand close around hers.

Izumi blushed fiercely. It would be an eventful day, indeed.


	6. Bound by the Storm

It had been a tough few months in the kingdom of Nixtorm. The snow and ice had devastated the crops, and the gold mine, the main source of Nixtorm's wealth, was now exploited intensively by a group of workers from Dragnor, with hardly any benefit for the local community. Sensing that things were not getting better anytime soon, many people, most of them young, had left Nixtorm to go build their lives somewhere else, where hopefully it would all be easier.

And as if that weren't enough, Akechi Mitsuhide, the Lord of Nixtorm, had secluded himself in his castle, mourning the recent loss of his wife, the beautiful and bright Hirokohime.

Sadness and discontent seemed to permeate all. In the morning, elders and women walked down the snowy streets and gathered at the market to discuss the kingdom's dire situation. Heads shaking, gazes falling, tensions rising, often ending in heated arguments or bitter tears.

The sadness only seemed to increase day after day. Until _they_ arrived.

Their arrival was certainly a sight to behold. A bunch of strong, majestic Pokémon came down the mountain that day, a Charizard, a Rhyperior, a Gyarados, a Crobat and a Samurott among others, each of them carrying people, luggage and other smaller Pokémon.

They reached the market square, where they announced themselves as traveling performers. As was to be expected, the people of Nixtorm, their bodies and hearts toughened by the constantly frigid weather, were suspicious of them at first. Who is so brazen and disrespectful to bring music where there is absolutely nothing to celebrate?

"Lord Motochika!" As he looked down from the balcony of Nixtorm castle, atop a frozen hill, the samurai's deep blue eyes widened in surprise and shock when he recognized his friend's Samurott and extravagant hair and clothing, absolutely unmistakable even from a considerable distance.

"Motochika is here, Father? Let me have a look!" Little Gracia quickly joined Mitsuhide's side and stood on the tips of her tiny feet, wanting to be able to look past the railing.

"What is he doing here?" Mitsuhide wondered, shaking his head in disbelief, silky black bangs moving along.

"Hm? We went to visit him not too long ago, remember, Father? Isn't it the same thing if he comes here to visit us?" Gracia asked, curious green eyes looking up.

Mitsuhide sighed and shook his head again. "It's not the same..."

"Why not, Father?" Gracia asked back promptly, becoming impatient when the answer didn't come right away. "Tell me, Father!"

When Mitsuhide answered, his eyes were still fixed on the defiant pair of daimyou and Pokémon in the square. "Lord Motochika is putting himself in grave danger by coming here."

"What danger, Father?"

Mitsuhide just closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Tell me, Father!"

***

After unloading their Pokémon's backs, the party of Motochika, Nobuchika, Morichika, Izumi, Moku and Raimundo sat together in a room of the inn where they had decided to stay. Only Raimundo stood, in the middle of a circle of the rest of them, his long and bony arms making ample gestures as he addressed the others.

"There is only one word to describe the situation here in Nixtorm, and that word is... _catastrophic_. I trust you are all already familiar with the foreign exploitation of the gold mine, and I do not need to bring forward any data regarding the local production of food crops. To the impossibility of deriving resources from the kingdom's land, another critical threat must be added..."

Nobuchika leaned to one side to whisper into Izumi's ear, a smile on his lips. "This is why Father still trusts him."

Izumi's eyes were wide open as she listened to Raimundo talk. "I can see that..." Judging by how eloquently and accurately he spoke, Raimundo had really gone a good job of analyzing the state of the kingdom of Nixtorm. To think Izumi had believed the foreign merchant to be the least motivated person in their group... 

"... The extreme weather of Nixtorm has caused a wide portion of sea around the coast to ice over completely. A most unusual circumstance at these latitudes of the globe, one that makes it impossible for ships and boats to approach or depart. And thus, Nixtorm is completely cut off from trade routes, and therefore from its only other possibility to become economically and financially strong and sound without having to rely on its adjacent kingdoms and primarily from Dragnor. To conclude..." Raimundo took a deep breath. "Lord Mitsuhide's rule has been wise. But Nobunaga has taken advantage of him, first and foremost by assigning a kingdom to him that was doomed to fail from the beginning. There really isn't much that Mitsuhide could have done at the administrative level to avoid the present situation."

"Thank you, Raimundo. You may sit." Motochika said, and Raimundo complied.

Nobuchika spoke up then. "So, is there something we can do about this? Any ideas?"

Raimundo was the first to make a suggestion. "I could use my Charizard to melt the ice off the ocean near the ports."

Nobuchika raised his eyebrows. "That's a lot of ice to melt! Won't it get tired?"

"Probably." Raimundo replied, nodding. "But any effort can be made for a good cause."

"Still! Having just one Pokémon on that is way too little." The Chousokabe heir raised his fan. "More suggestions!"

"Um..." Izumi raised her hand timidly. "If we had any Grass-type Pokémon, they could help the crop plants become stronger and survive the snow."

"Good one, Izumi!" Nobuchika commented. "The thing is, we _don't_ have any Grass-type Pokémon, as far as I know. More suggestions!"

"I have one, Brother." It was Morichika's turn. "With the help of Ground, Rock, Steel and Fighting types, we could probably follow the gold vein or find another one and open a new mine exclusively for the use of Nixtorm."

"Very well thought, Brother!" Nobuchika cheered. "Except we're a little short on those, too. I'm not sure that your Quagsire, Raimundo's Rhyperior and Moku's Toxicroak can build a mine all on their own..."

"Not to mention that Nobunaga would get wind of the project as soon as it started..." Moku sighed.

"Moku, I thought you were done with that pessimistic attitude!" Izumi said with a pout.

"What do you want me to do, apologize because I don't want to lose the ones I care about _again_?" Moku frowned and bared her gritted teeth.

"Alright, alright, please calm down, ladies..." Nobuchika intervened, smiling, yet firm. As young as he was, he knew how to be charimastic when the situation called for it.

Morichika rolled his eyes and spoke under his breath. "This is why women shouldn't be allowed to participate in meetings..."

"What did you say, Brother?" Nobuchika turned towards him, still smiling, but with a glint in his eyes that said he had heard the teenager's words perfectly.

"Nothiiing..." Morichika huffed.

"Anyway, as we were saying!" Nobuchika raised his fan once again. "It seems that we know exactly what can be done to revive the fortunes of Nixtorm, but we lack people and Pokémon who can do all that!" He turned towards Motochika, who had his shamisen on his lap. "Father, you haven't said anything yet! What do you propose we do?"

The Warlord of Fontaine took his time with the answer. All eyes were on him, but he kept his on his instrument as he played the first few notes of a song that everybody in Ransei knew. "The people of Nixtorm have lost their spirit. Such is the effect of the black wave... their souls have been poisoned, crushed and swept away. They now drift along Nobunaga's current, hardship and abuse pulling them under..."

Nobuchika narrowed his eyes gravely. "Their spirits are broken... that's true. If they had been able to take a stronger stand, they would have defended the gold mine, for example. And if they were more united, they would all be out there helping each other, and getting rid of the ice over the ocean and on the fields..." Once again, it became clear that one of Nobuchika's talents was paraphrasing his father's metaphor-ridden messages.

"So it's... their souls that must be changed?" Moku asked, sincerely interested, her violet lips falling open a little. "But... how is that possible?"

Motochika stood, walked to the nearest window and looked out, heedless of the fact that a few snowflakes were drifting down to land on the exposed skin of his chest. "I wish to perform for them."

Nobuchika and Morichika stood in turn, both brothers smiling excitedly. "We're with you, Father!" Nobuchika announced.

"With all due respect... are you saying that _music_ will end Nobunaga's sway over this kingdom?" Moku asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Motochika turned to look at the dancer and nodded. "All souls in this frozen world must rediscover their ability to resonate with each other and defy darkness together."

Nobuchika nodded. "And once we've gathered people and motivated them to take action, we'll tell them about the ideas we came up with just now, and maybe we'll get them to help out! In this situation, there really is no better weapon than Father's music."

Izumi placed one arm over Moku's shoulders and the other over Raimundo's. "We want to help too, Lord Motochika!" Both the merchant and the dancer didn't seem too happy with how Izumi had decided to speak for them, but the younger woman seemed to ignore them, smiling anyway.

"Excellent." Motochika said with a smirk, turning back towards the town of silence and falling snow.

***

"Father... they're setting something up in the market square! Is it a new stall? Can I go see it, Father?"

"No, Tama. We will stay inside for a few more days."

"But I really want to go see it! Do you know what it is, at least?"

"No, and, frankly, I do not care. We should not be seen in public so soon after your mother's passing."

"Is a month still too soon?"

"... It's been a month, hasn't it..."

"Yes! The servants said that. I overheard them talking this morning. They're very worried because we haven't set foot outside the castle in a really long time!"

"Did you just make that up, Tama?"

"No, I didn't, I swear! That is what they said! Why won't you trust me, Father?"

"I'm sorry, Tama. I simply don't think that the time is right. Besides..." Placing both hands on the balcony railing, the Lord of Nixtorm closed his eyes, the wind lifting his long, black ponytail behind him. "... there's a snow storm coming."

***

"Izumi, pass me the nails." Nobuchika asked.

Izumi extracted a box of nails from one of their bags and did so. She then watched the Chousokabe heir at work, hammering the nails into the wood they were using to set up the stage. He may not look it, and he was definitely not as muscular at his father was, but he had remarkable physical strength.

"Remember to take breaks and go inside once in a while, my Lord... It's not good to exert yourself in this weather." Izumi suggested timidly.

Nobuchika stopped for a moment, turning to look and smile at her. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Izumi." He then resumed his hard work.

"Izumi!" Moku called out to the younger woman. "Let's go to the fabrics stall and get our hands on something before everything's gone!"

"Coming!" Izumi said, sprinting towards Moku, her Espeon in tow.

But something made Izumi stop in tracks, suddenly coming to a halt. "Huh?"

Slowly, she turned towards the sea, the water covered by a thick sheet of ice, as Raimundo had mentioned earlier in their meeting. "Moku!" she called out in turn, without looking at the older woman. "Do you think you could go alone?"

Moku huffed. " _You_ 're the one who always insists we should stay together... alright! I'll see you later, then." Shaking her head, the violet-haired woman walked away.

Izumi ran in the snow, with Haru, her Espeon, galloping beside her, along a road leading out of town. "So I'm going to look bad because everyone else is busy setting up the stage, but... there's something I need to check out."

They moved further and further away from the town until they reached a beach, or rather, what would have been a beach if the water hadn't been frozen over. Izumi stopped and panted, realizing now that running in the snow had been a terrible idea. Her lungs ached horribly, every breath of cold air like a blade piercing them through. But it had been worth it. "Haru, can you feel it, too?" she said between pants.

Her Espeon closed his eyes to become attuned to the frozen environment around them. He sat in silence, perfectly still, for a long moment. Soon, his red forehead jewel began to glow brightly, and the Psychic-type's eyes shot open, a blue light in lieu of their usual color.

Izumi's eyes went wide open, and she repeated the messages that her Pokémon was channeling to her through telepathy. "There's something in the air... and something in the water... And tonight, during the snow storm..."

***

After hours of hard work, the small stage in the market square was mostly ready. The four men who had been working on it took a break and sat on its wood boards, patting those next to them to check their solidity.

"So, Father..." Nobuchika wiped the sweat off his brow and pointed up at the dark clouds coming from the horizon, which looked as if they were rising out of the sea. "That's a storm coming, isn't it?"

Motochika followed his son's gaze, looking up. He smirked defiantly at the darkness. "So be it! Our songs will rise against the wrath of the elements!"

"Hey, Moku!" Nobuchika stood and waved at the woman approaching the stage. "How did the fabric hunt go?"

"It went badly, as you can see." Moku sighed, turning her palms up. As a matter of fact, she was absolutely and literally empty-handed, and so were her Crobat and Toxicroak at her sides. "It's not like the stalls and shops didn't have anything, but... all they have is overpriced stuff from Dragnor, and I'm not giving a single coin to Nobunaga!" She seethed between her teeth. "It's like nobody in Nixtorm knows how to weave anymore!"

"That may be the case." Nobuchika answered, very serious. "So be prepared to teach them."

Morichika frowned. "Let's just buy the Dragnor fabrics. We need stage costumes and decorations, after all."

In all response, Nobuchika used his fan to lightly smack his younger brother on the shoulder. "Morichika, need I remind you that, as ronin, we are far from swimming in money? We'll just use our normal clothes, and the stage will have to be a little bare." Nobuchika sighed and turned towards his father, knowing that he would not be happy about that development. "If that sits well with you, Father, that is... Father?"

Motochika wasn't sitting where Nobuchika remembered, and for a moment seemed to have vanished. Instead, he had wandered to a small frozen dock not too far from there and was now coming back, dragging something along with him.

Nobuchika stood to have a better look, and his face brightened when he realized what his Father had in mind. "Of course! The fishing nets! You're a genius, Father!"

Motochika merely smirked, as he hauled the big bundle of abandoned fishing nets onto the stage.

Moku didn't seem too convinced. " _Fishing nets_ , my Lords?"

Nobuchika nodded. "That's how we'll decorate the stage! Nobody can fish anymore because of the ice, so the nets will be a symbol of our wish for the crisis to end soon. Seeing a stage decorated with fishing nets will remind the people of Nixtorm of the busy, prosperous and happy lives they used to lead, and they will want to fight to get them back! Isn't that right, Father?"

Motochika didn't seem to be paying attention to his son right away, instead picking a darker net out of the bundle. He then held it up to Moku, who was still baffled by the strange idea, and seemed to consider how the ensemble of Moku and the fishing net looked. " _Almost_ right." he replied, smirk unfading.

***

At sundown, a small group of people had gathered around the stage draped in fishing nets and illuminated with cheap paper lanterns. Most shook their heads at it - didn't these people know that the storm would wreck that hastily made thing and leave no trace of it? They had already dismantled the market stalls, and formless heaps of wood and canvas lay where they once were.

"Father, look!" Gracia pointed her small finger at the square.

"What are you doing, still outside?!" Mitsuhide stepped onto the balcony, eyebrows knit together. "Go back inside, Tama! Immediately!"

"Look, Father! The only lights in the square are from the new thing they set up..." She tiptoed on her feet, wishing to have a better look. "Ooh, it looks like a stage! Maybe Motochika is going to play? Father, I want to go look!"

Mitsuhide rubbed his temple in frustration. Knowing Motochika, it _had_ to be a stage... "You can't go look, and besides, it would be a waste of time. They will not perform tonight."

"Why, Father?"

"Because of the storm, Tama."

"But their lights are on!" Gracia insisted, still looking at the stage in the square excitedly. "And... Ooh, I think someone just got on the stage! It must mean that their show is about to start! Father! Father, I think that's Motochika!"

Reluctantly, Mitsuhide stepped towards the railing and stood at his daughter's side, following her gaze to the square. Even in the fading daylight, he could see that his daughter was right... there were people on the stage, and Motochika was likely one of them! Could it be - and he shook his head in denial at the realization - that Motochika truly lacked the common sense to cancel a performance because of rough weather?

An affirmative answer to that question soon formed in his head. Of course, Motochika had disregarded the danger of being in Nixtorm in the first place; this, by comparison, was nothing. Mitsuhide shook his head even harder.

"Father? You're shaking your head in a funny way... What's on your mind?"

"Nothing, Tama... nothing."

"But it can't be nothing if it has Father so worried!"

" ... "

***

_So it appears I can't leave my Lord alone for a minute without him having one of those eccentric ideas of his. Like having us all go on stage - on the night of a storm, no less! - with costumes made of fishing nets the fishermen left lying around and some canvas that the snow ruined. Well... not like I would have been able to stop him, anyway, stubborn as he is. Anyway! My Lord, Nobuchika and Moku put outfits together really fast, and visually they look nice side to side with my Lord's outfit, which, of course, is also his stage outfit._

Having no mirror to use to look at herself, Izumi looked at Moku, standing beside her, and ask, "Do I look right?"

Moku simply nodded, and Izumi felt reassured. Moku was a woman poisoned by revenge, but she had deep insecurities making her a profoundly human creature. She had few friends, but was extremely loyal to them. And Izumi knew that her friend wouldn't lie to her. She looked beautiful tonight, too, even in that crazy outfit. A skintight gray canvas cloth covered her from her chest to her thighs, and draped over that was a loose kimono made out of dark-colored netting, covering and revealing her body at the same time. The odd ensemble was held together by Moku's usual blue obi around her waist.

As for Izumi, she had negotiated with her Lords to wear something more conservative. She wore her usual blue yukata, but, instead of her red obi, Nobuchika had improvised one made out of nets. The fishing net motif continued with another of Nobuchika's creations, a shawl decorated with seashells. Izumi felt herself blush a bit, thinking of how Nobuchika must have taken great pains to both make her look pretty and stay warm in the wintry weather while also appealing to his father's outlandish sense of aesthetics. This was something she was trying hard not to think about... Why was the daimyou's heir devoting so much attention to her? It was simply impossible for him to eventually be wed to a commoner like her, so she was forced to conclude that he was just messing around with her ... which, she was aware, was not a nice thing to think about her young Lord.

Izumi looked at her Lords, already on the stage, tuning and trying out their instruments, and smiled.

 _So this is our band... My Lord Motochika on the shamisen, my Lord Nobuchika on the flute - or second shamisen, depending on the song -, and my Lord Morichika on the drum. It's as if, in order to be a member of the Chousokabe court, you had to know how to play at least one instrument! I, of course, can't play any. I will be doing the introductions and co-ordinating the Pokémon's dances... Moku is our only human dancer, while Raimundo will be off-stage telling everyone about our cause. Everyone is doing what they're best at! There's just one problem, though. I don't think our first performance can be tonight..._

"Father!" Morichika yelled out just then. "We won't be able to do a thing tonight! The snow's gonna ruin our instruments!"

"We'll get new ones." came Motochika's deep voice. "It is too late to turn back, my son."

_Right. There's that stubborn Lord of ours._

"We will play on, every note awakening the spirit of defiance within the people of this kingdom, until the voices of our indomitable souls are silenced."

_Our stubborn and often poetic lord... Even his younger son, who I believe inherited all of his stubbornness, has nothing to object when his father puts our mission in these terms._

"You mean until our instruments get soaked through." Morichika objected, before falling silent.

 _Well,_ almost _nothing. In any case, I harbor the hope that tonight, however brief our first performance will have to be, will be everything my Lord wants it to be. The first fertile seed of change in a frozen land of sorrow..._

_But I must remember that thing Haru and I sensed..._

Izumi looked down, at the Espeon next to her, who kept his head up, looking at the sky. Her gaze soon followed her Pokémon's, and she, too, found herself staring at the blackened sky overhead, her eyes filled with worry.

_I don't want to let down my Lord, but... this is going to be no ordinary storm, is it..._

***

_I do not belong here, in this land of humans and war._

_I was told I would find a human like that, but..._

_In my mind, there is still no doubt that humans are beyond all hope._

_How I despise them! All they want, all they can do, all they know is war._

_When will they see? When will they heal? When will peace inhabit their hearts and souls?_

_I do not have the patience to sit, wait and watch until that day comes._

_I'd rather sweep them all away._

***

The first snow coincided with the beginning of the first song played by the former Lords of Fontaine. Surprisingly enough, people gathered around the crude makeshift stage regardless, most of them on the way back to their homes after making late preparations for the coming snow storm. As they walked close to the stage, their original intention was to listen for a brief while, then return to the safety of their walls and their families.

But Motochika's music, notes played in rapid succession and with rarely seen showmanship, awoke something within them. Surely they could break their routine of servitude to someone whose face they hadn't even ever seen, but who, they heard, would doom the entire country to a destiny of unending war and strife, making their lives even more miserable and their families even less secure. The music restored in them faith in their own spirit, in their will to change the state of things. And the Pokémon's dances reminded them that they would always have Pokémon to rely on. That while people of rank might use Pokémon to wage war, simple people can live a peaceful, uncomplicated life alongside them, with nature as their only lord and harmony as their only law. And no troubled times weaved by arrogance and abuse should deprive them of their right to such a life...

Among the listeners were two figures in long, loose habits, hoods covering their faces, one tall, the other the height of a child. The shorter one scampered ahead, and the other one had to pull him, or perhaps her, by the clothes, to keep them from getting too close to the stage.

The taller man kept heaving impatient sighs, forming white puffs of warm air as the snow piled up on his shoulders and head; yet he listened to the music intently, and respectfully waited for the current song to finish. As soon as the instruments fell silent, the Pokémon curtsied gracefully and the small, yet excited crowd began asking for more, mindless of the increasing snowfall, he threw his hood back, revealing a face much too pale and delicate for a man his age, framed by long black hair.

"Lord Motochika!" Mitsuhide cried out. "I appreciate your coming here, but this must cease at once! There's a snow storm coming!"

Silence fell over the crowd, when the peasants realized that the man was none other than their lord, Mitsuhide. Gracia removed her hood in turn and waving happily at all the people she knew from Fontaine and that she now recognized on the stage.

There went Motochika's signature defiant smirk, a glint in his mist-colored eyes. "Do not ask _me_ to stop, my friend. Ask _them_." The shamisen player made a wide gesture with his arm clad in black leather, signaling the crowd below him.

The crowd of humans and Ice-type Pokémon cheered with deafening shouts asking for encores. Much to Mitsuhide's frustration, the clamoring was joined by his own daughter at his side.

Mitsuhide hung his head in defeat, his eyes closed. "You will resume your performance at my castle. You audience is invited, too, unless they have to return to their homes." He looked at the people around him, his eyes narrowing severely when they met those of adult men. "Which, if I may be so bold, they should. Their families must be worried and waiting for them. Go spend time with your wives."

Mitsuhide's tone was as cold and harsh as the glaciers of Nixtorm, but the peasants could tell that his were the words of a grieving man, who perhaps regretted not having spent enough time with his own wife before it was too late. The crowd dispersed in a matter of instants; only Mitsuhide and his daughter remained standing before the stage.

The wind was picking up, and Izumi had to hold the shawl that Nobuchika had made for her tightly around herself, to keep it from being carried away. "Well, I guess that's it for today, huh?" She petted her Gardevoir and Espeon and Moku's Crobat and Toxicroak, who had been dancing on the stage. "Good job, everyone."

"Lord Motochika." Mitsuhide began, his eyes still closed. "Why have you come here?" His dark eyebrows twitched downwards, and anger seeped into his tone.

At that, Motochika, shamisen in hand, hopped off the stage, his Samurott along with him, their feet landing in the thick layer of snow. "To serve you, Mitsuhide." He raised one arm, showing his open hand to the Lord of Nixtorm. "I desire nothing else."

Mitsuhide's eyes flew open as a realization hit him. "You... you planned this! You had the Aurora twins conquer your land so you could-!"

In all response, Motochika smirked, gray eyes gazing deep into Mitsuhide's sapphire irises.

Back on the stage, the two younger Chousokabe were packing their instruments, but Morichika kept his gaze fixed on what his father was doing, his jaw dropping when he realized that not only would be serving another clan, but that their humiliating defeat against Aurora had somehow been planned. The boy soon felt a sharp pain on his forehead - a finger had just been flicked against it. "Don't stare." said Nobuchika, with a playful smile.

"Either way." Mitsuhide sighed. "By serving me, you serve my Lord Nobunaga. I will have to inform him of this..."

"As you wish, Mitsuhide." Motochika replied.

"Um... actually, Lord Mitsuhide!" Nobuchika spoke up from the stage, raising his red fan in the air. "Our clan, the Chousokabe, has already signed an alliance with the Oda! So us being here should be no problem, right?"

Mitsuhide addressed the son of the lord of Fontaine, who was, by all intents and purposes, decidedly easier to talk to than his stubborn father. "Your alliance was signed when you still had land to rule over, Nobuchika. Now that you are wandering samurai, things are far different. And it would actually be my Lord Nobunaga's right to be angry at you for losing Fontaine to a clan opposing the Oda. Truth to be told, you are taking great risks by simply being here."

"Haha! Whoops, my bad." Nobuchika joked, downplaying the gravity of his mistake. "I should have figured that out."

"There is no need to apologize, Nobuchika." Mitsuhide nodded his head. "But let's continue this conversation at my castle." Mitsuhide turned his steps towards Nixtorm castle, dragging his curious daughter by the arm as he did so.

"Father! You're being rude today!" Gracia protested, with no reply from Mitsuhide.

Mitsuhide's behavior, not quite fitting for a man who was known to be calm and gentle in demeanor, caught Izumi's attention, who was supposed to watch over the Pokémon as they descended from the stage, but instead kept her eyes on the Lord of Nixtorm. "A person changes a lot when they're grieving, huh..." Izumi said to herself.

"Izumi! What are you doing over there?! Hurry up!" It was Moku, calling out to her. Everyone else was already so far ahead! Izumi saw their backs, growing smaller and smaller in the distance, and they all had their arms raised to cover their faces, while Mitsuhide and Raimundo's long ponytails whipped around in the violent wind. "Hurry!" Moku called again. And indeed it was a matter of minutes before being outside became even unthinkable.

"Coming!" Izumi replied, and began running, the snow impeding her step. However, she soon fell down, landing facefirst into the cold, white layer.

When she got up, she huffed and looked at the others, already so much far ahead than her, as she shook the snow from her clothes, her yukata sleeves...

... Her shawl. Where was her shawl?

Izumi looked up, to see the shawl with seashells being carried up and away in the wind, drifting back towards the stage. "Oh, no! Haru!" she called her Espeon at her side. "Let's get it back!"

Izumi dashed towards the makeshift stage once again and, as she tried to reach for the shawl and snatch it out of the air, her leg collided with the wooden boards.

As he led his guests towards his castle, Mitsuhide's eyes widened in alarm and he stopped in his tracks. "A scream?" He turned towards Motochika, at his side. "Lord Motochika, did you hear that, too?"

Motochika nodded in reply.

"Well, what are we waiting for, then? Let's go, now!" Mitsuhide let go of Gracia's arm and retraced his steps as he ran back. "It came from behind us! Come!"

"Uh..." Nobuchika intervened, raising his fan up in the air. "But I thought I heard something _above_ us... In fact, I can still hear it!"

" _Above_...?" Mitsuhide lifted his gaze to the sky, and was shocked to see a small blimp at the mercy of the strong air currents, high up and being carried to and fro, unable to land.

" _HELP! SOMEBODY, HELP!_ "

"Help me... Somebody... please...!"

There were _two_ voices asking for help.

For a moment, Mitsuhide appeared lost, glancing in one direction, then in the other. But after that moment of confusion, he made his decision. "Motochika! You and your sons take care of the blimp!" The lord of Nixtorm then ran in the direction of the other voice, but was surprised to see Motochika and his Samurott running at his side. "What are you doing? I told you to get the blimp!"

"You'll see." was all he received in response.

Mitsuhide nodded, intensity in his eyes. He would have faith in his friend.

Mitsuhide found Izumi in tears, the lower half of her body completely buried under the heap of wood and fishing nets that was all that remained of the makeshift stage. At her side, her Espeon, also mildly injured, was trying to use its Psychic attacks to levitate the wood, but to no avail.

"P-please help me..." Izumi muttered softly between tears. Her weak voice was merely audible over the strong wind.

"Dear Arceus..." Mitsuhide said at the sight before kneeling next to the woman, trying to remove the wood on top of her. Moku soon joined him in the effort.

As for Motochika, he hastily picked up the fishing nets from the pile of debris and began tying them together at the ends.

"I can't feel my legs, I can't feel my legs, I can't feel my legs..." Izumi repeated to herself in a panic, shaking her head and scattering her tears.

"Hang in there, and don't panic. You'll be fine." Mitsuhide reassured her in a gentle voice, as he cast aside more wood.

By the time one of Izumi's legs was freed, Motochika had already built a gigantic rope out of the fishing nets. Dragging his creation along with him, he ran back to where his sons and the drifting blimp were. In a wordless agreement between father and son, Nobuchika took the other end of the rope and hopped on his Gyarados, who then defied the raging storm to fly up and reach the blimp. Once next to it, Nobuchika tied the rope firmly around the tail of the small airship. His Gyarados then bit the rope and held it in its large mouth as it pulled the blimp down while descending to the ground, where Motochika had kept the rope anchored, his own remarkable physical strength aided by that of Raimundo's Rhyperior.

Once the airship had landed safely, Nobuchika went inside to retrieve its occupant. When he came out, he was supporting the traveler, most of the nearly fainted man's weight slung over his shoulders. Two Pokémon followed them, one of them a Crobat, and the other one that most of them had never seen before - a quadruped with thick orange-red hair, a blue circle pattern on its sides and two humps resembling volcanoes on its back.

Raimundo could not believe his eyes. "Matsu!" The foreigner quickly ran to his Ranseian lover and quickly took Nobuchika's place, forgetting his manners as he shoved the young Chousokabe away. "Matsu... Matsu, what are you doing here?" Raimundo asked desperately in tears, perhaps not realizing that the man in his arms was exhausted, and in no condition to give a proper answer.

"You... never change, do you, Rai..." the redhead grunted, his eyes only half-open.

"Matsu!" Raimundo wailed as he held his beloved Takeda vassal tighter.

Just then, Mitsuhide and Moku returned, together with Motochika's Samurott, on whose back was Izumi, staring emptily at her own legs. "They both need nursing. Let's hurry to the castle."

***

_I see. I see humans and Pokémon, helping each other, their hearts and souls tired of the long war..._

_Is this... is this what I was told I would find?_

_And yet. This is not enough. I will need them to prove themselves to me..._

***

Once at Nixtorm Castle, a room was turned into a nursery for Izumi and Matsubusa to rest and recover. The redhead warrior from Terrera slept soundly, under the watchful eyes of his Crobat, that other mysterious Pokémon of his, and Raimundo, who hadn't left him alone for a single second. The foreigner now sat on his knees next to his lover, smiling at him, sometimes adjusting his covers and his hair and whispering words which he must have thought encouraging and even sweet.

As for Izumi, she wasn't even lying down. With her Espeon and Gardevoir next to her, she sat up and stared at the window in silence. There wasn't much to see - the snow storm did not seem to want to cease, and had already painted everything white, white which insisted in its immaculate whiteness even now that night had fallen. Izumi hadn't said a word since arriving at the castle.

Nobuchika stepped quietly into the room and approached Izumi's bed, kneeling next to it. Izumi acknowledged his presence with a nod, but didn't turn her eyes away from the window.

"Izumi?" Nobuchika asked tentatively.

"Ah... yes, my Lord?" at last, Izumi turned to look at him, though her eyes seemed absent.

"What happened? Why did you stay behind? Near the stage, I mean." Nobuchika asked, with careful slowness.

"I had to get the shawl back." Izumi averted her eyes. "The one you made for me, my Lord."

Nobuchika smiled and shook his head, placing a hand over Izumi's. "It was a simple thing. You didn't need to do that... It was made with trash, so it's okay to leave it behind as such."

Izumi withdrew her hand from under Nobuchika's, and instead pulled something from under her covers - something made of rope and seashells. "Your shawl is not trash, my Lord." she said calmly, but firmly.

Nobuchika appeared surprised, his eyes widening "Oh, you... You got it back?"

Izumi nodded. She pulled the shawl out of the covers completely and wrapped it around herself. Once again, she had fallen silent and was looking at the window.

"Izumi?" Nobuchika asked again.

"Ah, yes, I'm..." she rubbed the bridge of her nose as she refocused on her young lord. "I'm sorry, my Lord."

"When the foreigner's friend wakes up, I think we should ask him what that weird, big Pokémon is! I've never seen it before, though I'm pretty sure it's a Fire type..."

"Or we could just ask Raimundo." Izumi turned towards the foreigner.

"Ah, yes! After all, it must be Raimundo who sold it to him." Nobuchika commented casually.

Raimundo sprang to attention, his crimson eyes widening in alarm.

"Ah, it's nice to see I'm not the only one who's figured it out..." Izumi replied to Nobuchika with a sly smile and a sideway glance to the foreigner. "You see, Lord Nobuchika. The first time I met this man, he went on a whole tirade about how he'd never defy nature by bringing new species of Pokémon to a land where they weren't native..."

Nobuchika laughed warmly. "That's just silly. Pokémon are sturdy creatures. They adapt easily to new environments. But still, he shouldn't have lied to you, given that the truth is that he mainly deals in the trade of foreign Pokémon..."

By now, Raimundo looked positively livid, his face red and contorted, his teeth gritted and his eyes so wide they threatened to come out of their sockets. "How... how did you know?!"

"Come on, Raimundo!" Izumi huffed, lifting her covers to finally lay down and close her eyes. "You're a much worse liar than you think you are."

With his arms folded over his chest, Raimundo bit his lower lip nervously and fumed. "I've been discovered, my dearest Matsu!"

A weak grunt came from Matsubusa's futon. "Serves you right... for being a scumbag..."

In an instant, Raimundo's eyes lit up, and he undid the knot of his arms to embrace his tired lover and deliver a rain of butterfly kisses on his cheeks. "Ah, my love! You woke up, at least!"

"I... wish I hadn't." Matsubusa said, growing stiff in the other man's arms. Who, nonetheless, kept nuzzling lovingly against him.

"Ah, my beautiful Matsu is always in the mood for a joke!" Raimundo lilted.

"I think he's serious, Raimundo." came Izumi's voice, muffled by the covers. "You're stifling him. Both physically and... in other ways."

"You too... you're too loud." Matsubusa growled, glancing sideways at the futon next to his. "Do me a favor and shut up."

Izumi was taken aback by that response, but made no comment on it. Instead, she sank deeper into the covers and tried to sleep. She was shaken from her torpor by Nobuchika's light, soft laughter. She looked up to see her young lord trying to conceal his smile with a hand over his mouth. "What is it, my lord? What is making you laugh?"

"Well, I'm laughing because, in spite of the exchange the two of them just had... well, look at them now!" Nobuchika said quietly, his laugh barely stifled.

Izumi turned around lazily to see Raimundo and the warrior from Terrera holding hands and exchanging smiles and intense, meaningful looks of love.

"Well, now I can say I've seen it all." Izumi rolled back into her sleeping position. She added something in a quieter voice, but still loud enough for Nobuchika to hear. "Though whether those two get along or not ultimately doesn't make any difference. They may love each other all they want, but they'll never be able to have a family together." Her voice grew even quieter still. "Much like you and I, my Lord."

Nobuchika appeared surprised for a moment, his mouth parting slightly. But he quickly recovered and smiled warmly, shaking his head slowly from side to side. "The Chousokabe are ronin now, remember?" He bent lower on the futon bed, and when Izumi peeked out of the covers, her dark brown eyes ended up staring right into Nobuchika's hazel irises. "With no land or inheritance to worry about, I can marry whomever I like." And the young Chousokabe's tender smile suggested that he had already made his choice.

Izumi paused, and her eyelids fluttered closed and then open a few times. "It never shows, but your father truly thinks of everything, huh?"

Nobuchika laughed, exhaling warm air against the bit of Izumi's face which she had uncovered. "Yup! Father is just _that_ incredible."

***

"You're _incredible_ , Lord Motochika." For a moment, Lord Mitsuhide's face was partly obscured by his hand as, with the umpteenth sigh of frustration, he massaged his temples, before dropping his hand back on the table with an audible noise and resuming his writing. "I cannot begin to tell you how unfortunate your decision to come here was."

"Then do not." Motochika challenged him. With his large back against the wall opposite Mitsuhide, he played a few notes on his shamisen.

"But..." Mitsuhide's pen stopped over the paper, his hand hovering above the letter he was writing. An anxious look appeared over the warlord''s face. "Please do not misunderstand. I _am_ grateful that you are here. It's just... " he shook his head. "The timing, it's... very inconvenient. For a number of reasons."

"Mitsuhide." As he spoke, Motochika went on playing. "There is a far graver weight on your heart than your grief."

Mitsuhide knitted his eyebrows. "What do you suppose you know about my _grief_ , now?"

"Your unspoken desires, Mitsuhide." Motochika continued. "Your suppressed rage. I can hear it rumble and push like a great wall of water behind an old dam." Suddenly, Motochika's eyes were on Mitsuhide, the candlelight in the room painting his silver irises golden. "Let it flow, Mitsuhide. Drown me in it."

By now, Mitsuhide had abandoned the letter completely, instead keeping his eyes fixed on the former lord of Fontaine. "Lord Motochika? What are you going on about?" Though he did his best to seem clueless, his hands were trembling visibly.

"Give them voice, or I will." came Motochika's challenge.

All of a sudden, Mitsuhide stood. "I won't-!" pacing nervously closer to Motochika, he gestured to the door. "Please get-!" before he could finish giving his order, he shook his head and quickly smoothed a hand over his face, from forehead to mouth. The Lord of Nixtorm's palm lingered over his mouth and he closed his eyes.

A moment later he had fallen on his hands and knees before the sitting Motochika, and warm tears were streaming down his cheeks. Motochika tossed his shamisen aside with a considerable degree of carelessness, and placed a hand gloved in black leather over Mitsuhide's ivory fingers.

"H-Hiroko's health was always delicate!" Mitsuhide began between sobs. "But she got worse... she got much worse when Lord Nobunaga assigned this kingdom to me and we were forced to move here! The perpetual winter of these lands was too much for her... Had we never left home... had we never left home, she would still be among us!"

The lord of Nixtorm sobbed uncontrollably. Motochika waited, at first tracing light patterns with his fingers over the back of Mitsuhide's hand. And when no more words came from Mitsuhide aside from an incoherent lament, he grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer, shifting closer himself to whisper in Mitsuhide's ear. "More."

"More..." Mitsuhide repeated under his breath, and nodded as if the two had a secret understanding. "The war, Motochika... I cannot stand to see the Pokémon suffer any longer! For our sake, they give their all... our peasants and farmers, too... we can give back to them with the promise of a land without war... and I thought that that was what we were working towards, what we were building day after day, because that was the kind of land that Lord Nobunaga wanted, like myself, except..."

Mitsuhide seemed to pause then, his eyes open wide and staring emptily at the floor. Motochika saw he wasn't breathing - he had frozen, like a clockwork toy needing to be wound up - and let go of Mitsuhide's wrist to nudge him against the shoulder. "Except...?"

"Except that it's not... The war continues, and he... he seems to take great pleasure in it... And I... and Lapras and I..." Mitsuhide briefly glanced in the direction where he knew his Pokémon was, a creature with a soul as gentle as his. "We no longer know who we are... we..." Mitsuhide trembled, and he fell even lower, his head landing on Motochika's knee, a single tear immediately rushing onto the black leather. "We destroyed a great monastery in one night! Just to fulfill Lord Nobunaga's wish of destroying the cult of Arceus... And... it haunts me, Motochika, it haunts me every night and every day... even today, to me, that woman in your service had the face of someone I fought there... A nun, who wanted to take her own life..."

Motochika set one hand on Mitsuhide's head. "It is no mere resemblance, Mitsuhide. She is that nun, and the only survivor."

" _What?_ " Mitsuhide raised his head abruptly. "Then... then why did you bring her here?"

"She holds no resentment towards you, Mitsuhide. After all, you stayed her hand and saved her life, did you not?"

Mitsuhide nodded. "Lapras and I averted her desperate gesture, yes."

"Besides, what better allies than two people over whose hearts weigh the same departed souls?"

"There's a difference, Motochika." Mitsuhide sighed. Leaning more comfortably against Motochika's knee, he stared vacantly at the scenery outside, all objects made indistinguishable by the white mantle over them. "I was the one who dispatched them. And the souls on my conscience will just keep piling up, until it goes numb completely... like the snow outside. Eventually, there will be no boundary distinguishing Lord Nobunaga and myself."

"Is that the destiny you want for yourself? The fate of your cousin, and of that boy Ranmaru?" asked Motochika, and his voice seemed to follow the very flow of Mitsuhide's thoughts.

"No. No, of course not!" Mitsuhide straightened himself, sapphire eyes now directly looking into Motochika's, a firm decision taking shape and coming to life in the depths of their ocean.

Motochika stood, and offered his hand to Mitsuhide to allow him to do the same. "Then rise, and let your own hands build a different destiny."

Entwining his fingers in Motochika's, Mitsuhide rose. In their touch, in their locked gazes now lay a silent pact, and Mitsuhide was about to say something when he heard a commotion behind the door. He recognized Izumi's voice, sounding very frantic.

"I got that, but... this is really urgent, and I swear, I _swear_ it will only take a minute, so, please..."

"Let her in." Mitsuhide called to the servant outside the room, quickly drying the trails of his tears with his kimono sleeve.

"Alright! Finally!" Izumi exulted from behind the panels, before they were drawn and she appeared in the doorway, with Nobuchika at her side, supporting her and helping her stand. "Thank you, Lord Mitsuhide!" she said cheerfully. "And excuse me. I'd bow, but..." she made a vague gesture indicating her aching legs and Nobuchika beside her.

And about the fact that Nobuchika was holding her... Mitsuhide turned his head slowly to give Motochika a wide-eyed stare. No doubt he thought that Motochika's young heir with his arm around a peasant woman was something scandalous.

The smirk that Mitsuhide received from Motochika in reply stood for a challenge to all conventions.

Nobuchika seemed to catch that brief, silent exchange. "You don't seem to have many servants in your employment, Lord Mitsuhide." He observed politely. "And Izumi has something urgent to say, so I helped her get here myself."

"Y-yes, thank you for that, my Lord." Izumi blushed, her gaze falling to the floor. It was an awkward situation, wasn't it... "Anyway... It's about this snow storm." She tilted her chin towards one of the windows, behind which the storm kept on raging. Some houses were already buried in snow. "Does it seem weird to you, too, Lord Mitsuhide?"

The lord of Nixtorm nodded. "It is more violent than usual, indeed. And uncommon in this season... autumn has only just started, after all."

Izumi nodded. "This may sound outrageous, but... I think it's caused by Pokémon."

Mitsuhide seemed surprised, his mouth parting. He turned to Motochika, and saw that, by contrast, his friend did not seem worried. "What makes you say that?" asked Motochika.

"Um..." Izumi nervously scratched the back of her neck. "Say, Lord Mitsuhide... there are rumors that the perpetual winter of this land is caused by a legendary Pokémon who has taken residence not far from here... right? The peasants told me that."

"So the rumor goes, yes." Mitsuhide nodded, his concern growing. "Do you think that the storm is its doing?"

"Yes, and no..." Izumi bit her lip. "As in, it probably has something to do with it, but it's not alone. There's..." Izumi turned to look at Nobuchika, who, with a nod and a smile, encouraged her to continue. "There's another legendary Pokémon in the sea, in the water under the layer of ice. The layer of ice... is the resident legendary's attempt to drive away the other. But it's not enough. The..." Izumi closed her eyes. Her usual informal, semi-serious tone was replaced by a slow, solemn voice. "The God of the Sea has come for his son, the God of Ice."

"The God of the Sea... and the God of Ice... Both of them are here..." Mitsuhide repeated. Again, he turned towards Motochika, seeking his reaction.

Motochika smiled and reached for his shamisen. "It is no coincidence. The union of our souls must have beckoned them here."

"How can you be so sure of that, Izumi?" Mitsuhide inquired.

Izumi briefly looked at Motochika as she recalled her first months in Fontaine. "I served at the shrine of the God of the Sea. I... I've been taught to read the signs of his presence."

"And what are they?"

"Storms." Izumi answered simply. "Violent, unnatural storms like this one. Though the snow must be the God of Ice's creation."

Motochika took a few steps towards the door, shamisen in hand. "Let's go link with them, Mitsuhide."

Mitsuhide blinked, not believing his ears for a long moment. "Motochika? You are suggesting we go outside and... _Link_ with them?"

Motochika nodded. "If similar souls become in tune with them, their quarreling will certainly end."

Mitsuhide's eyes widened in realization. "And if we succeed, not only will the people of Nixtorm be safe from danger, but we will be able to count on the legendary Pokémon's support, to oppose..." But his gaze soon fell to the floor, and he shook his head. "No. It is too bold and risky an action. And for us to think that the Gods will agree to help us on our personal quests is simply too arrogant..."

"Hahaha!"

Mitsuhide would have said more, but was interrupted by a peal of Nobuchika's sunny laughter. Suddenly, all eyes were on the younger Chousokabe.

"Haha... sorry, Lord Mitsuhide!" Nobuchika apologized, still chuckling. "I simply find it ironic - you who serve Nobunaga, a man on a quest to show that Legendary Pokémon are not Gods, see them as Gods yourself!"

"Ah..." Mitsuhide stared emptily at the floor, realizing that, yet again, he had come into conflict with himself. Or rather, with Nobunaga...

"Divine in nature or not, with their strength and support on our side, we shall be unstoppable." Motochika impatiently grabbed Mitsuhide's wrist and pulled him towards the door.

Nobuchika had to pull Izumi to the side to keep his father from running into her as he made towards the door, pulling Mitsuhide along.

"But... but Lord Motochika!" Mitsuhide objected weakly. "What makes you think... what makes you believe that we will be able to link with them?"

"You are the Warlord of Ice. I am the Warlord of Water." Motochika replied. "Surely our respective Gods will give us their support."

"S-so you think they're Gods...?"

"They are what they are. Either way, their powers are exceptional, and their spirits akin to ours. This opportunity must not be wasted, Mitsuhide."

Their voices grew fainter as they stormed down the corridor and finally disappeared behind a corner.

"But... it's really late!" Izumi said quietly. "Do you think they'll be alright, my Lord?"

Nobuchika smiled as, with slow steps, he guided Izumi back to the nursing room. "Of course they will! They're two of the strongest warriors in Ransei."

"But the Gods...!"

Nobuchika blinked. "So you _truly_ think they're Gods?"

Izumi stiffened, forcing Nobuchika to stop, and pulled away from him, instead leaning against the wall for support. "Hey... I'm not sure I like that tone, my Lord. Of _course_ they're Gods. To imply that they could be anything less than that is..."

"Alright, alright, I get it!" Nobuchika soothed her, laughing warmly. He offered her his hand - he would not take her back forcibly.

Izumi sighed. "Sorry, my Lord. I should be more relaxed about this..." Extending her hand, she entwined her fingers with Nobuchika and came closer to him and away from the wall.

"You're just tired, is all. Let's get you back to your room."

When they opened the door to the nursery room, the feeble candlelight, enhanced by the white of the snow outside, revealed two empty beds.

Izumi blinked. "Where are Raimundo and his friend?"

The deserted room was silent.


	7. Dawn of the Gods

On one of Izumi's first days at the Shrine of the Sea God in Fontaine, the prayer site was visited by someone important - a Great Name, no less. The daimyou of Fontaine.

Of course, Izumi was new to the kingdom, and still lacked the necessary knowledge to be able to recognize him. But, while she swept dried leaves away from the inner garden, she overheard the conversation that the outrageously dressed man carrying a shamisen had with the head priest.

With manners perhaps too casual and bold for such a request, Motochika asked the priest to teach him the sacred song that the shrine guarded as a secret. A melody that supposedly had the power to calm the raging sea and quell any storm.

The head priest shook his head violently, and his usually white cheeks went red with fury as he insistently refused to grant Motochika's request. He said that such things were not meant to be taught to, and used by, men of rank. That because of his caste and fortune, Motochika lacked the humility and purity that were needed to approach the God's song as was proper.

Much to the priest's surprise, Motochika didn't offer much of a resistance to his argument, turned on his heels and left.

Later that day, as the temple's priests and workers sat together for dinner, Izumi learned of the eccentric man's identity.

" _That_ was Lord Motochika?" she blurted. "And you refused to teach him the sacred song? Why did you do that? He rules over this kingdom! He may need the song someday!"

"The sacred song must be used wisely, Izumi. And that wisdom is one he lacks." the head priest answered, his words slow and solemn.

"But, with all due respect, what do you know? You almost turned him away at the door!" Izumi retorted. "I don't think he'd use the song for himself, or for anything dishonorable. Maybe he'd use it to keep the kingdom safe!"

"You have no way of knowing that yourself. The truth is that, rather than those Great Names, knowledge of the sacred realm is best left to us with no names." the head priest decreed as he sipped his tea, a twitch in his eyebrow revealing that he wasn't altogether calm. "Should you disagree with that, then know you are no longer welcome in this shrine."

"Hm." Izumi had simply nodded her head in assent. But in her heart, she kept thinking that the priest had been wrong. It was Motochika's right to learn the God's song...

***

The sea of ice had become a sea of fire.

Matsubusa stood over a rock, his arms folded over his chest as he watched his Camerupt and Raimundo's Charizard at work. Occasionally, he moved his arms in ample gestures, directing the Pokémon's actions. The Camerupt took care of the area closer to the shore, creating pillars of flames before itself, while the dragon, flying overhead, melted the ice sheet from the opposite end. The flames from their strong Fire-type attacks spread quickly over the ice layer, which had been previously coated with highly alcoholic beverages, a measure that had left the cellars of Nixtorm castle completely devoid of strong drinks and made the ice look as if it were actually burning for a few seconds, before it melted into the water below.

Mitsuhide stood further away from the beach, with Motochika at his side. "I truly hope this works..."

"Worry not, Lord Mitsuhide!" Raimundo piped up as he stared at his beloved Matsubusa. "My Matsu is a master of fire. All the ice around Nixtorm's shores will be history before you can blink your eyes!"

Without turning to face Raimundo, Matsubusa sighed. "I'm just opening a passage, Raimundo. I'm not going to melt _all_ of it."

In a matter of minutes, the ocean's water had gained ground over the ice, and a large channel had been opened in the ice sheet. The fire dissipated quickly, and both Fire-type Pokémon returned safely to the beach.

"Well, there you have it! Nixtorm can access the sea again!" Raimundo exulted, triumphant. "And all thanks to my splendid Matsu." The merchant was all loving smiles as he helped Matsubusa down the rock. " _Muito bem, meu amor._ " he cooed sweetly, without much of a response from the other man.

"I apologize for bothering you at this time of night." Mitsuhide said to the two men. "Thank you for your services, Matsubusa, Raimundo, Charizard and... Camerupt, is it? You may return to your beds and take a well-deserved rest now."

"Yes, Camerupt!" Raimundo said, excited. "I chose the species for him myself. Both have such explosive personalities! So I thought it would be fitting."

The redhead warrior grabbed Raimundo by his bony wrist. "Rai! What makes you think it's appropriate to talk about such things?"

Mitsuhide blinked at Raimundo. "So you deal in foreign Pokémon, yes? I may have to request something of you sometime."

Raimundo bowed at Mitsuhide's feet with theatrical grace. "At your service, my Lord."

Matsubusa rolled his eyes. "And at Lord Shingen's, and at Lord Motochika's, and at Lord Masamune's..."

Raimundo turned towards his friend and lover with a girly pout. "You've been _spying_ on me! That is not nice, Matsu!"

Matsubusa sighed. "No, I don't need to. _Everyone_ knows about your movements, Rai. You and secrecy are such sworn enemies, I am frankly glad you don't serve Lord Shingen anymore. Anyway... rather than going back to the castle, I think Camerupt and I will be taking a stroll."

Raimundo was suddenly very worried. "But it's so cold, Matsu, and all this snow...! You know what cold weather does to you..."

"You can come, too." Matsubusa conceded.

Raimundo's mood seemed to brighten suddenly. "Oh, in that case!" He grinned joyfully as he locked arms with Matsubusa and hummed a made-up song as the two of them walked away, their Pokémon in tow.

Motochika's eyes remained fixed on the strange couple as they disappeared in the distance.

"Motochika?" Mitsuhide asked tentatively. "The passage is open. What do we do now?"

"We wait. They won't be long now." Motochika's eyes shifted to look at his Samurott. The Pokémon's long white whiskers twitched a little, and its eyes narrowed, focusing on the ocean.

Mitsuhide imitated Motochika and looked at his Lapras. The Pokémon looked away from the sea, towards the tallest of the range of white mountains towering over Nixtorm.

And then, it happened. Suddenly, from the water rose a deafening, guttural scream, sounding as though it belonged to the depths of the ocean themselves. Motochika's gaze became intense, alive. "Excellent." he said to himself.

When the scream stopped, from the mountain came a high-pitched cry, shrill and fearsome, like a blade of ice running down one's spine. Mitsuhide lifted his head high and perused the immaculate snow and the pitch-black darkness in search of the source of that sound.

The God of Ice was the first to appear. Graceful and almost evanescent, from a distance it was impossible to tell it apart from the flurries of snowflakes that kept falling from the sky. But it approached, and the moonlight, amplified by the snow, revealed the light blue of its wings and its long tail ondulating in the wind, as it flew away from the mountain and closer to the shore.

Whereas on the horizon appeared what looked like a tornado made of water, swiftly moving towards the shore, along the passage that had been opened in the ice layer. A blue heart pulsated at his core, a heart that revealed itself when, a short distance from the shore, the water cyclone dissipated, and the God of the Sea emerged in all its might, its gargantuan body combining the gracefulness of birds, the power and agility of the sea's great swimmers and the diaphaneity of the moon.

The two Pokémon had darted towards each other in a hurry, but had now stopped their flight, looking down to examine the two pairs of warriors and Pokémon that stood between them.

Mitsuhide's blue eyes met the God of Ice's, a deep crimson that greatly stood out among its blue feathers.

Motochika's gray eyes met the God of the Sea's, a soulful brown.

***

_These humans... what do they want from us? How dare they look us in the eyes?_

_Surely, they are after our power. The people of Ransei cannot be any better than any other humans I have met... if anything, they might be even worse._

_There is nothing you can say that will make me change my mind about these arrogant creatures. And I know the same goes for you._

_Let us fight, my son._

***

Eventually, the two Gods turned their eyes away from the two samurai and their Pokémon, and instead stared defiantly into each other's eyes.

"Motochika!" Mitsuhide called out. "We cannot allow them to fight each other! The castle town is too close by!"

Motochika lifted an open hand towards the night sky, and the great God soaring in it. "Then let's begin. Let's forge a bond that will join our souls and resist all struggles!"

"Yes." Mitsuhide lifted his gloved hand in turn, showing the God of Ice an open palm. "Let's link."

***

Izumi heard the rumbling of thunder and buried her face deeper in her pillow. "I can't sleep..." she mumbled, half-hoping that her Espeon was also awake.

"Well, it's no wonder, really!" she heard someone reply, instantly recognizing the voice.

Izumi sprang up to sit. "You're still here, my Lord? You should go to sleep! I don't want you to watch over me all night!"

"But what if _I_ want to watch over you all night?" Nobuchika challenged her, with a grin that she recognized well - his father's. In Nobuchika's case, it seemed that father and son were much more similar than it may have looked at first glance.

Izumi lowered her gaze, her face flushing. "Well, uh... suit yourself. Your father is out there in this horrible weather, trying to avert a battle between Gods, and you're here, as calm as can be, worrying about _me_ , of all things..."

Nobuchika shrugged. "Well, I can't sleep, either."

"Oh." Izumi's head sank even lower, humbled.

With a hand on her shoulder, Nobuchika shook her playfully. "But as I said, there's no reason to worry about Father, or Lord Mitsuhide. If anyone can take care of themselves, that's them."

Izumi frowned and held her Espeon, who, it turned out, was also awake, closer to her chest. "I'd be less worried if your father at least knew the song..."

"What song?" Nobuchika tipped his head to the side curiously.

"The sacred song of the God of the Sea... I learned it at the shrine back in Fontaine. It's a song that can calm the God of the Sea and its three children, the God of Ice, the God of Thunder and the God of Fire, and make them benevolent towards each other and the person playing it." Izumi explained. "Samurai warriors are forbidden from learning it, though." she quickly specified.

"So you can't teach it to Father?"

"I can't, yeah."

"What about me?"

"You're a samurai, too, so no, I can't teach it to you, either."

"What about him?" Nobuchika pointed at a corner of the room.

Izumi squinted. The room was almost completely dark, and it was hard to make out what Nobuchika was pointing at. Eventually, the thing itself floated closer to Izumi's bed, stopping at a small distance from her. "Chingling!" it announced itself, grinning through its mouth shaped like the hole of a bell.

"Oh!" Izumi said, blinking in surprise. "A Chingling... I suppose he'd be okay... as long as he can sing the right notes... Lord Nobuchika, how about you cover your ears for a moment?"

Nobuchika let out a good-natured laugh. "Alright!" he then put his hands to his ears, covering them as Izumi had said. He saw Izumi's eyes close and her mouth open and move as she began singing. In turn, the Chingling jingled happily in the air and grinned as it repeated the melody with its chime-like cry.

A good few minutes were spent like that. "Well, there we go." Izumi said finally, smiling at the Chingling and making a gesture to Nobuchika to indicate that it was okay for him to uncover his ears.

The Chingling floated closer to Nobuchika, who smiled at it. "I probably should have told you that this Chingling is Father's."

Far from being surprised, Izumi grinned back at Nobuchika. "I imagined so, don't worry! I'm just glad we were able to find a loophole in the whole restriction thing. A Pokémon is pure enough to learn the song, and free to do whatever it wants with it, including teaching it to a samurai!"

Izumi and Nobuchika exchanged knowing glances and smiles, until Izumi's expression darkened considerably with doubt. "But... your father needs the song right now, and Chingling is too light to go out there and look for your father. The wind will just carry it away..."

Nobuchika went very serious in turn. "I hadn't thought about that."

Izumi looked out the window. The snow storm was still raging, though they could see no sign of the epic encounter that was taking place not far from the castle. "It looks like we'll have to join them outside..."

***

Fatigued, Mitsuhide exhaled loudly as he let his arm fall along his body. As a result, the golden orbs of energy in the air dissipated. He watched the great bird above him a few seconds longer, saw light blue energy forming in its beak once again, a new Ice Beam attack, directed at him. Counting on his Pokémon's loyalty and on the attack dealing very little damage to it, Mitsuhide ducked behind his Lapras. "Motochika!" he yelled out. "It's not working!"

The truth was that Motochika wasn't doing any better in his attempt to link with the God of the Sea. No matter how much determination he put into his wish to communicate with the creature ruling over his element, the white-feathered God refused to open its heart to him. Too stubborn to admit defeat, Motochika remained deeply focused, his arm outstretched and his fingers splayed before the great white bird, sending orbs of warrior energy flying towards it. However, the God flew agilely and evaded most of the orbs, which flew off and eventually extinguished themselves. It also seemed to be preparing an attack directed at Motochika and his Samurott, though Mitsuhide couldn't tell what type of attack it was.

"Motochika!" Mitsuhide repeated. "Leave it! This is going nowhere!"

"HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!"

Much like it had occurred earlier that evening, Mitsuhide heard a cry for help. This time, he was quick to recognize the voice - that was Raimundo calling! But how? Mitsuhide has seen him safe and sound mere minutes before...

Motochika must have heard the voice, too, because Mitsuhide saw him abandon his attempt at linking with the God of the Sea, instead hopping onto his Samurott's back. "Let's go, Mitsuhide!" Motochika incited him, and Mitsuhide was quick to do so, running in the direction of the voice alongside his Lapras, skidding agilely in the snow.

As soon as they left the quarreling Gods behind themselves, they saw a tall pillar of smoke in the air, a distant orange light, and the smell of something burning quickly filled their lungs. "Fire!" Mitsuhide exclaimed as he ran.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP! ... Please..."

Raimundo's voice was growing fainter, and Mitsuhide began to fear the worst. He, Motochika and their Pokémon dashed into the nearby forest, and soon found themselves facing a wall of fire, an entire circle, with Raimundo in its middle, ropes tying him to a tree. At his feet lay the unconscious form of Raimundo's Charizard, surrounded by large rocks, with its wings heavily battered - probably the victim of a Rock Slide attack.

Before Mitsuhide could command Motochika to act, his friend was already in action. The Water warlord's Samurott had stepped forward and summoned a great wave of water - a Surf attack. A moment later, the Pokémon launched it forward, drenching the burning trees and part of Mitsuhide's clothes. A second wave was necessary to extinguish the fire completely, and Mitsuhide commanded a final Ice Beam from his Lapras to get rid of the remaining embers. And while his Pokémon was at work, Mitsuhide ran to Raimundo and used a pocket knife to cut the ropes and untie him from the tree. "Raimundo!" Mitsuhide asked. "Are you alright?"

As soon as he was untied, Raimundo bent over, suddenly falling prey to a violent cough due to the smoke and soot he had breathed in, which kept him from answering.

Mitsuhide lowered himself at his side, his eyes wide with worry. He did not miss the moment in which Raimundo's cough stopped and suddenly turned into loud sobs.

"My Matsu... My Matsu did this..."

"Where's he now? Where did he run off to?" Mitsuhide asked, hurried but gentle.

"Oh, he's... He's still there."

Raimundo pointed somewhere past Mitsuhide's shoulders, and Mitsuhide turned to see Motochika engaging in battle with Matsubusa, Samurott and Camerupt facing each other. With a Water type against a Pokémon with a double weakness to water, the battle could be said to be over before it could begin, but Matsubusa seemed determined to fight anyway, glaring defiantly at Motochika, who responded in kind with an intense stare.

Before they could command their attacks, Mitsuhide yelled out, interrupting them. "Matsubusa! What is the meaning of this? Why turn on your friend and lover?"

Matsubusa turned briefly towards Mitsuhide, showing his gritted teeth. "I'm afraid that's none of your business."

"If you want, I can answer that question for you, Mitsuhide." Motochika said, without tearing his gaze away from his opponent. "This man answers to Hideyoshi. Who, in turn, as you know, has pledged his allegiance to Nobunaga."

Matsubusa furrowed his brow. Most notably, he was not losing his composure. He did not seem proud of what he had done, and the corners of his mouth were very visibly twitching downwards. "Nice. You must think you're so smart for figuring it all out. Yes, I came here with orders to kill Rai before he could make any orders or shipments for you or Lord Mitsuhide."

"Matsu!" Raimundo cried out in anguish.

At that, Matsubusa briefly turned towards Raimundo, still very serious. "Orders are orders, Rai. And you are still a scumbag, serving any Lord who promises to fill your pockets." He scowled. "To think I thought you believed in Lord Shingen..."

"And I did! I swear I did!" Raimundo replied in tears. "But he's not powerful enough to defeat Nobunaga, and..." he had to stop himself there.

Matsubusa rolled his eyes. "You can save that story for someone who doesn't know you as well as I do, Rai. We both know that philanthropy isn't your forte. The truth is that Mitsuhide, here, is preparing a rebellion against Lord Nobunaga, and who better than you to supply Pokémon to his army that no opponent will know how to confront?"

" _I_ am...?" Mitsuhide's head fell suddenly, and he found himself looking at the scorched earth beneath his feet. Yes, Matsubusa's accusation... it was true, wasn't it? There were already many steps that Mitsuhide had taken in that direction... It was no longer time to waver and hesitate, steeped in doubt. Motochika was there to remind him just that.

"Aqua Tail. Do it." Motochika commanded to his Samurott.

"Flamethrower, now!" responded Matsubusa.

While the column of fire damaged Samurott as it approached the Camerupt for the attack, one hit was sufficient to take it down, and thus the battle was over in a single turn.

Matsubusa did not seem surprised about the outcome. His brow still tense as he stared at his fainted Camerupt, he accepted his defeat with a dignified nod. He then turned to Mitsuhide, a wicked smirk on his face. "Everyone already knows about your traitorous plans, Mitsuhide. Your Lord has eyes and ears everywhere."

Mitsuhide had to look briefly at Motochika, in order to gain the necessary strength to reply to that threatening statement. His friend's statuesque body gave him the appearance of a rock, something Mitsuhide could hold on to to lift himself out of perilous waters after a long swim towards the shore. "I do not care." he finally replied. "For the good of this land, I will... do what must be done."

Motochika turned towards Mitsuhide, nodding and smiling warmly.

Mitsuhide produced a few Super Potions, which he used to heal both Raimundo's Charizard and Motochika's Samurott. Then, with Motochika's help, he tied Matsubusa to the same tree where Raimundo was only a few minutes before. "Raimundo and his Charizard will watch over you until we can take you to the castle's prisons." Mitsuhide informed him. Then, he turned to the merchant. "Raimundo, how are you feeling?"

"B-better, I think..." Raimundo replied. His red eyes were wide and, for once, almost vulnerable as they stared fixedly at Matsubusa, full of silent questions.

"Good. I'm going to ask you to stay here a while, while Motochika and I solve an urgent matter. Will you be alright?" Mitsuhide asked.

"I think so... Now that Charizard is fine... By the way, thank you for healing him."

Mitsuhide nodded. "It was no trouble." Stepping away from Raimundo and out of the circle of half-burnt trees, Mitsuhide turned to Motochika. "Let's go back. We cannot let Nixtorm be destroyed by the Gods' rampage."

Once out of the forest again, Mitsuhide and Motochika found that they had been lucky enough. The two birds fought up in the sky, lighting it up as they fired blue and white beams at each other, and for the moment the only things their fight had destroyed were a couple of abandoned boats and a small wooden dock.

"Let's try linking again." Motochika suggested, once again lifting a hand towards the great white beast.

"But Motochika... It didn't work the first time! What makes you think it will work now?"

But Motochika had already drawn the God of the Sea's attention. At times, it seemed to pause in flight, letting some of the orbs communicating Motochika's feelings hit it plain in its blue-colored stomach. Others it skillfully avoided like it had done before.

"Giving up so soon?" Motochika called out to the God, with a defiant smirk.

Seeing his friend's partial success, Mitsuhide imitated him. He focused on the God of Ice, threw his head back and let his feelings flow freely and materialize into the orbs of light, for once not caring if it was truly light enshrined in heart, or actually darkness - if the God was to accept him, it would accept him all. Mitsuhide's whole being was tired of having to repress parts of itself.

Mitsuhide, too, succeeded in making his God pause and temporarily stop fighting the other God. However, the blue bird was not letting a single orb of light hit him, and, as it dove closer to Mitsuhide, there was a wild fury in its red eyes that had been absent before. As soon as Mitsuhide became momentarily distracted, the God took advantage of that to deliver a fast and powerful Ice Beam that would have hit Mitsuhide, hadn't his Lapras protected him by putting itself into the attack's way.

Still, Mitsuhide focused. And at the peak of his concentration, it seemed to him like the blowing wind and the snow flying past him carried the sound of a voice. A voice that sounded remarkably like Mitsuhide's own.

_Treason, Mitsuhide? Why?_

Mitsuhide paused, and looked at the great white bird above him, who paused in turn. He took a few deep breaths as he considered what to do, and finally he spoke, deep emotion and sorrow in his voice. 

"Because I can no longer stand to see the people and the Pokémon suffer. Their pain is mine. I carry it in my heart, and I feel its pangs with every step I take. If I can stop Lord Nobunaga, perhaps... Perhaps the land will finally see days of peace."

 _Starting a war to end another war... Such foolishness!_ , the voice continued. _To think I believed in you..._

"You... you believed in me?" Mitsuhide was incredulous.

_I have been watching you for a long time. The depth of your emotions, the kindness of your soul, the swiftness of your decisions... I thought you were the one, Mitsuhide. The human with whom I would have been able to communicate and form a link. But what I have just heard from you and that man... the betrayal that you plan is a despicable action, Mitsuhide, one that will damn you and your memory for the ages.._

"I am aware of that, make no mistake." Mitsuhide shook his head wistfully. "It seems you were expecting too much of me, God of Ice..."

_Articuno. That is my name._

"Articuno. If you believe there is a better way to end the war once and for all, without causing any more suffering... then by all means, guide me. Share your wisdom with me, put order in my jumbled thoughts... so that we may build a better future for all of Ransei."

As Mitsuhide spoke, what he didn't notice is that several orbs of light had formed around his body, and were now flying off from all directions towards Articuno. The blue bird did not move, and let every single orb connect with it. The orbs burst into small sparkles as they came into contact with Articuno's feathers. It was painless, but it left the Pokémon filled with warmth - the warmth of a warrior's feelings.

The flow of glowing orbs from Mitsuhide's body eventually stopped, and Articuno swooped down and landed before the Lord of Nixtorm.

"I..." Mitsuhide seemed incredulous and blinked at the powerful creature that was now eye-to-eye with him. "I have formed a link with Articuno."

"Excellent, Mitsuhide!" Motochika called out, his smile audible.

"Motochika!" Mitsuhide swiftly turned towards his friend. "How are you holding up?" As far as Mitsuhide could see, the God that Motochika was engaged with was even more powerful than Articuno, and its Water and Psychic attacks were even more destructive than Articuno's Ice powers.

"This creature and I... our spirits burn with the same unyielding intensity." As he spoke, Motochika sent more orbs of light towards the great white bird, all of them missing their target. "It is clear that our destiny is to be bound to each other."

"And it's as stubborn as you are, so it sees that destiny and fights it..." Mitsuhide commented, as he tentatively brushed a hand against Articuno's long, blue feathers. Much to the warlord's surprise, not only did the Legendary Pokémon accept the gesture, but it actually felt soft beneath his fingers.

"Exactly." Motochika replied, looking up at the legendary Pokémon as it kept dodging the light brought forth by his feelings. "This has turned into a battle of our indomitable wills."

"So would you mind receiving a little push, Father?" Nobuchika's voice called out from behind him.

Motochika's son was riding his Gyarados, and getting it to land near Motochika and Mitsuhide. Next to him sat Izumi's Espeon and Izumi herself, who held Motochika's Chingling in her arms.

"Lord Motochika!" Izumi called out. "Remember the Sea God's sacred song? I taught it to your Chingling!"

"Excellent. Let's do this." the flow of energy orbs from Motochika stopped abruptly as the samurai took up his shamisen while his Chingling floated over to him. It was a natural, rehearsed situation - Motochika and his Chingling had practiced songs together plenty of times. Chingling began repeating the song with its shrill, chime-like cries. Motochika listened intently, and reproduced the same notes on his shamisen.

On the Gyarados' back, Izumi huffed and whispered to Nobuchika. "I'm kind of regretting this... maybe it was wrong of us to do it." she confessed.

Nobuchika merely shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "You have nothing to worry about. Besides, there's no reason to regret it now. What's done is done."

And it was done, indeed. The following second, the full melody filled the air and overcame the now subsiding storm, played by Motochika's shamisen alone. Motochika kept his eyes closed during the performance, but when the very last note vibrated in the air, he opened them to stare defiantly at the great white beast above him.

The dragon-bird bared its fangs, as white as its short, silvery feathers. Motochika heard its voice in his head, deep and dark like his own. _My song... played by a samurai? I should punish this as an unforgivable affront!_

Everyone was looking at Motochika, expecting him to say something to the God as it finally communicated with him. But Motochika remained silent.

_But, even though we have only just met, I can see that you are unlike any other samurai, no, any other human I have met. I can see the steadfast determination in your soul. You live to fight the quirks of fate, and protect your friends from them._

Everyone felt the wind blow one last time before it ceased entirely. It was like a long sigh.

_Whereas I, for all my strength, am unable to protect that which I hold dearest. All I can do is expose it to new dangers, dangers from the darkest depts of my own being... I respect you, Motochika._

Yet again, Motochika held out his open hand to the God, his usual smirk softening into a smile. "Then come with me. I will show you how to brave your own strength, and turn your wishes into a reality."

The great white dragon-bird narrowed its eyes. _You, a mere human... How do you presume that your company will end the conflict that has plagued me throughout my immortal life?_

 _Perhaps bonding with a human is exactly what you need, Lugia._ said Articuno, now at Mitsuhide's side, revealing the God's name. _That is the point I have been trying to make to you all along, and I stand by it. This human in particular is one whose presence could make you stronger, and wiser. Because he must be a wise ruler, if one of his servants was willing to defy the law of the Gods for him._

"Um... Don't look at me!" Izumi chimed in.

Lugia narrowed its eyes, as it seemed to consider Articuno's words. Finally, beating its enormous white wings, it flew down, closer to the ground and Motochika. _Human_ , it began.

"Lugia." Motochika responded, as new orbs of light formed around his body.

 _Consider your offer accepted_ , was the last thing Lugia said before it spread its wings, threw back its head and stood still in the air, absorbing every orb of light from Motochika into its body. An aura of light formed around Lugia as the flow of orbs finally stopped.

"I... I can't believe this is happening!" Izumi commented, excited, as she watched the God of the Sea descend towards her lord. "Lord Motochika has linked with the God of the Sea... A creature that has never before appeared in Ransei..."

Nobuchika shrugged and laughed quietly. "Knowing Father, it doesn't seem all that surprising to me!"

Motochika reached out with a hand and stroked Lugia's face and neck, much like Mitsuhide was doing to Articuno. Eloquent gazes were exchanged between the two pairs of warriors and legendary Pokémon; Motochika had proven to Mitsuhide that it was not impossible for them to link with such powerful creatures, while Articuno had proven to Lugia that humans were worthy of their trust. The wind ceased and the clouds dispersed. The first light of dawn had already appeared on the horizon, and it would be a reasonably fine day in Nixtorm.

"Is it all settled now, between the two of you?" Mitsuhide asked the legendary Pokémon.

 _I think so_ , Articuno said, a smile in its beak as it glanced at Lugia.

As for Lugia, it kept studying Motochika with interest, as if there was something about him that, for all his ancient wisdom, the god-like Pokémon could not comprehend.

Motochika merely smirked and sat down before Lugia, practicing the sacred song on his shamisen once again.

 _It's the first time I see Lugia look at a human like that_ , Articuno explained.

Mitsuhide followed Articuno's gaze, and smiled warmly when his eyes finally rested on Motochika. "I can see why it would." Hearing the notes, Mitsuhide started subtly shifting his weight from one leg to the other in time with the song, laughing softly to himself when he realized that Articuno was doing the same thing on its talons.

***

Moku huffed in the messenger's face. "Are you sure this can't wait? Everyone in the castle is asleep except me, so."

The young messenger shook his head frantically, his black hair becoming even more of a mess as a result. "This message must be relayed to Lord Mitsuhide at once! Please let me in, now!"

"Uh, I just said _everyone is asleep except me_ , remember? That includes Lord Mitsuhide, in case you didn't realize."

"Then wake him up!"

Moku rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, just a teensy weensy little detail - I'm just a servant, and I happen to like my head firmly attached to my neck."

"He won't hold it against you - this is a message from Lord Nobunaga."

Moku successfully held back the visceral reaction that her hatred of the man bearing that name demanded. Though the corners of her mouth visibly turned downwards, she merely nodded and allowed the messenger inside Nixtorm castle, showing him the way to Mitsuhide's room.

Hours later, Mitsuhide entered the dining room, where Izumi and Motochika, both very late risers that day, were having breakfast. "Lord Nobunaga wants to see me today. I'm heading out and going to meet him." he announced.

Izumi stared inquisitively at Motochika, wondering what his reaction would be. Suddenly, Raimundo also burst into the room from behind Mitsuhide, panting loudly.

"Lord Mitsuhide! There you are! I've been looking for you! I need your permission to visit the prisons, so that I may sort things out with my beloved Matsubusa."

Izumi's brow furrowed as she stared pensively into her tea, thereby avoiding everyone's gazes. "I thought that, once it was established that a certain presence in one's life can only be toxic and harmful, the sensible thing to do was avoid it as much as possible..."

" _Toxic_? _Harmful_?" Raimundo repeated, taking offense at Izumi's implication. "My Matsu is none of those things! He is just very confused right now! But give me a chance to talk to him and I'll make him see the light!"

Izumi raised her eyes from her tea bowl, and this time pointedly sought Mitsuhide's gaze. "What about you, Mitsuhide? Do you also think that Lord Nobunaga is just _confused_?"

Mitsuhide's eyes widened in alarm at Izumi's implication, before his gaze dropped to the floor, his shoulders falling. He seemed to be seized by a sudden paralysis, and remained standing in the doorway, his arms dangling limply at his sides.

"Izumi." Motochika made himself heard.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Go out." said the warlord, his tone firm.

Izumi blinked, realizing that it was the first time her lord kicked her out of any room. "Out? S-sure, but... m-may I ask why?"

"I don't dislike your melody. But it was not in the right key for Mitsuhide to hear."

"As in," Nobuchika explained to Izumi moments later in a different room, "He didn't disagree with the point of what you were saying, it's just that your manner of saying it wasn't delicate enough, considering Mitsuhide's state of mind."

"Yeah, I got that." Izumi sighed, sitting down with her legs drawn to her chest and burying her face between her knees. "Lord Nobuchika..."

"Yes?" Nobuchika tipped his head to the side questioningly.

"I think I have a problem with Lord Mitsuhide."


	8. Betrayals

Maybe there are really only two kinds of people.

Those who, at the end of their day, reflect about what they've done and weigh their misdeeds, false steps and mistakes against their successes, achievements and progresses, their selfish arrogance against their ability to give to others.

And those who don't.

Tonight, Izumi wishes she was one of the latter.

***

One like Ranmaru, a young man who has no time to look back on his day as he goes to bed, because his days, lately, always, invariably end with the crowning of his singular ambition of being with his Lord.

Being close to him, being one with him as his Lord moves next to Ranmaru, on Ranmaru, in Ranmaru, deep within Ranmaru. And they move in unison, and Ranmaru's earnest and sincere lips are unable to speak, his straight, yet delicate nose envied by every woman in the court is unable to breathe, his young yet brilliant mind is unable to think, and the boy doesn't shed a single drop of blood as the result of his lord's massive onslaught, always so mysteriously respectful in its brutality. Even this is just one more of those moments in which Ranmaru thinks that he can die for his lord because, in the end, he is already inert matter in his strong hands, which Nobunaga can shape and bend as he desires. Sometimes, when Nobunaga whispers his love in Ranmaru's ear, Ranmaru finds himself resisting the urge of asking "how can you love something that is dead?"; he dismisses the idea right away, it's a silly one, after all. After all, Ranmaru is still alive, alive and young and beautiful; his heart is still beating, he can hear it ringing in his ears, pumping life into him, or is it Nobunaga pumping life into him, or is it Ranmaru's heart, or are Ranmaru's heart and Nobunaga really one and the same...

" _L-Lord Nobunaga...!_ "

When morning comes, however, it's rather different from what Ranmaru has become used to. He usually wakes up to find his lord sleeping under him, with his arms around him, and it's always a mystery to Ranmaru how they were able to reverse their positions while asleep, but he likes it, he likes being enveloped in Nobunaga's warmth, hearing the beat of his heart within his powerful chest, raising his eyes and smiling in pure glee upon discovering that he and his lord just woke up at the exact same time.

This morning, however, Ranmaru wakes up feeling cold - no one is lying in the bed with him.

"Lord Nobunaga...?" he asks sleepily, before a rush of adrenaline gets him up and alert, on his feet and ready to investigate his lord's mysterious disappearance. Furrowing his brow when he sees that Nobunaga cannot be found within the room, either, Ranmaru calls his Pokémon to his side. "Dragonair!"

"Stand down, Ran." A hand clad in black leather waves dismissively from the balcony.

"Lord Nobunaga!" After wrapping a blanket around his naked form, Ranmaru runs to the balcony, sighs and smiles in relief upon seeing his lord safe and sound, already fully dressed in his black armor and purple coat and looking at the mountains on the horizon. He joins his lord at his side and, much to his surprise, Nobunaga wraps an arm around him and pulls him closer. "Lord Nobunaga is in an affectionate mood today." Ranmaru remarks, blushing a bit as his gaze tries to follow Nobunaga's, beyond the white mountaintops. "Affectionate and pensive." The boy corrects himself, filling his Lord's silence.

"Can you see it, Ran?" Nobunaga asks, slow and solemn as if the heavens themselves were speaking. "Can you see what lies ahead of us?"

While Ranmaru's gaze remains fixed on the scenery that Nobunaga appears to want him to contemplate, he hesitates a little. "In all honesty, my lord, this Ran lacks your foresight, and I am not sure I can..."

"Try." Nobunaga cuts him short. "Sooner than you expect, I will no longer inhabit this realm. While you, my boy, will."

"I... I frankly hope I will not live to see that day." Ranmaru hesitates, gulping down something heavy, a quiver in his rosy lower lip. "But... I shall try, as you ask." Ranmaru leans closer to the balcony and his large, attentive blue eyes start examining all he can see from it. "I see..." The snow-capped mountains in the horizon. Barren rocky slopes. A large expanse of forest. A beautiful waterfall. A flock of Starly taking flight. "I see..." Closer to the castle, the small castle town of Dragnor, its meadows, its gold mine, its shops around the Poké Ball-shaped market square. Ranmaru leans over to be able to look at what is going on down below them, even closer to the castle. The well. A woman fetching water, with an Espeon and a Gardevoir at her side.

"I see a spy, Lord Nobunaga!" Ranmaru announces in alarm, pointing his white finger at the woman. Izumi herself hears Ranmaru's yell and looks up at the castle balcony. Haru's telekinesis is the only thing that keeps the bucket of newly collected water from falling from Izumi's hands.

 _Great_ , Izumi thinks, biting her lower lip. _I just started serving here, and Nobunaga's favorite page already hates me..._

"A spy?" Nobunaga smirks, slowly tilting his chin up. A moment later, he bursts into a deep, uncontrollable laugh. "Very well done, Ran." With those words, he lets Ranmaru go, turns on his heels and disappears back inside.

"Lord Nobunaga!" Ranmaru swiftly follows him inside. "That woman! She's one of the Akechi and Chosoukabe's trio of peasant warrior spies! Lord Chikayasu wrote about them in his reports to us. One of them is a young woman with an Espeon, a Gardevoir and a head of unruly hair..."

"Is that so?" says Nobunaga, his laugh now a quiet but deep and vibrating chuckle, like an earthquake. He moves behind Ranmaru and pulls the blanket from him, throwing it as far as he can into a corner once Ranmaru's hands let go of it. The boy is now naked in his arms, arms covered in thick, dark leather against Ranmaru's soft skin.

"I-is there a reason why you're not listening to me, Lord Nobunaga?" Ranmaru asks in a baffled whisper as his lord's gloved hands move all over his slender body, quickly awakening a side of Ranmaru's physicality and mind that he had hoped not to rouse until much later, at night.

"You are the reason, Ran." Nobunaga whispers in the boy's ear, biting on his fleshy earlobe afterwards, and there's nothing that Ranmaru can do but yield.

When she slides the door open carrying the water bucket and a scrubber, Izumi is treated to quite the sight, and once again her Espeon has to step into action so she doesn't drop her bucket.

Even finding himself in that sort of situation and position, Ranmaru still has the presence of mind to point at Izumi, suddenly alarmed. "That's her! That's the spy!"

Nobunaga laughs, louder than ever, and the walls and the ceiling and the entire castle of Dragnor seem to laugh with him.

Izumi gulps down a mouthful of air, unable to take her eyes off the intimate scene before her. "I was told I had to clean this room... Evidently not. Maybe... later, then. I'm sorry I interrupted you, I..." she shakes her head and pulls the doors closed. "H-have fun. My Lords."

It's only after the doors have snapped closed that it dawns on Ranmaru, the boy's blue eyes widening. "She's in our service now? Are we sure it's not just a ruse?"

Nobunaga has to be, or maybe he simply doesn't care, because, even during the short intermission, he has not for a second stopped fondling and claiming his beautiful boy, and with the next roll of his hips he makes sure that Ranmaru loses all coherency and can only scream out his name.

" _L-Lord Nobunagaaa!_ "

***

After lunch, Izumi did the washing up in the Dragnor castle kitchens, with Haru next to her. As soon as the kitchenware items were dry, the Espeon would use his Psychic powers to levitate them, make them fly around the room and finally set themselves neatly into their proper place in a drawer or cabinet. The job was finished more quickly that way, not to mention it provided a source of amusement for the other servants, many of whom didn't even have a Pokémon partner.

Once she was finished, she helped clean up the kitchen as usual and then hurried to the nearest door to the garden, eager to breathe some fresh air. Someone was waiting for her there, however. Kousokabe Chikayasu and his Dewott stood on the verandah. Motochika's brother greeted Izumi with a smile, a nod, and words that immediately got on Izumi's nerves.

"I want to make sure that you realize that what we did isn't betrayal."

Izumi pouted and replied in the most sarcastic tone she could muster. "Betrayal? I thought it was a game of Pokémari, imagine that. No, but seriously..." She sighed, avoiding Chikayasu's gaze and looking out into the garden. "How can you sleep at night? Because I sure can't."

Chikayasu furrowed his brow. "I sleep at night knowing that with Lord Nobunaga's protection, Fontaine will be safe from danger. I sleep at night knowing that I gave you good advice, when I wrote to you that if you truly found Mitsuhide to be so fickle and indecisive, you would have done well to leave his service. And I sleep at night thinking..." Izumi noticed Chikayasu balling one hand into a fist. "That that man's influence over my brother's heart will soon be history."

At that moment, it became clear to Izumi why Chikayasu and Raimundo had always gotten along well. Possessive and delusional... not the healthiest combination of traits, and fortunately, with the Gods' help, not a particularly common one; but why was Izumi always stuck working with that type of man?

Izumi sat on the edge of the verandah, her feet idly kicking at gravel. "Yeah, it's not like they have two Gods on their side or anything." Sarcasm. A valuable weapon, one that never leaves you, no matter how low you end up falling. Although she had left Moku back in Nixtorm, Izumi now understood her more than ever.

Chikayasu walked closer to her, smirking. "They may have two, but all the rest of them are with Lord Nobunaga."

"So they say." said Izumi in a flat voice. "And it's probably just an expression."

Out of the corner of her eye, Izumi saw Chikayasu shake his head. "I don't understand why you're so bitter about this, Izumi. Do you not like your new Lord? Your new life?"

Izumi tilted her head back to make eye contact with Chikayasu behind her. "Oh, I like them all right! I'm just a servant here, though - lots of hard work, little responsibility. But even if it weren't that way, Lord Nobunaga knows what he's doing all the time. He wouldn't leave all his warriors hanging and waiting for him to, pardon my language, muster up some balls, like Mitsuhide did with us."

"So what is it you don't like...?" Chikayasu wondered aloud. "Perhaps... Oh, I see!" his eyes seemed to light up with a realization, and his smirk widened. "Perhaps you miss Nobuchika...?"

"Y-your nephew has nothing to do with my state of mind, my Lord." Izumi replied, blushing furiously. "But I do miss him, somewhat."

"Have no fear. After this whole ordeal is over and Mitsuhide is out of the picture, I will personally arrange for your marriage."

"M-marriage?" Izumi's blush deepened. How many times had she daydreamed about getting married, maybe to someone slightly richer than her, and building a prosperous family? And here she was, being offered the hand of a future daimyou, who was, in addition, smart, kind, considerate... and on the opposite side of a conflict waiting to happen. "But I'm just a peasant... and a traitorous one, at that... He should kill me, not marry me." Lowering her head, Izumi averted her gaze.

Chikayasu' smirk lingered. "Treason can be forgiven; and being a peasant... can be remedied."

"Remedied, how?" Izumi sighed, shedding her dirty apron and dangling it in Chikayasu's face. "I'm not even a warrior anymore. All I do here is clean rooms and wash dishes and pots, like I did back at the temple in Fontaine."

"I'm appointing you as my personal bodyguard."

Izumi paused and blinked, slowly turning to look at her Espeon, who was blinking in turn. She quickly turned back to Chikayasu. "Your _bodyguard?_ Me?"

"You know, like Ranmaru is to Nobunaga."

Still reminiscent of the incident from earlier that day, Izumi and Espeon both raised a distrustful eyebrow.

Chikayasu was quick on the uptake and sighed. "I didn't mean like _that_. Izumi... do you accept to defend me with your life?"

Izumi shrugged. "With all due respect, my Lord, that was the idea from the beginning. The moment I realized you were actually on Nobunaga's side, I thought you needed backup more than your brother did."

Chikayasu shrugged and smiled. "Then it's settled. Izumi of Fontaine!"

"Actually, I'm from Illusio."

"Izumi of Illusio, you are now the bodyguard of Kousokabe Chikayasu of Fontaine." Chikayasu stated, proud and solemn, tapping his fan against Izumi's shoulder.

"Alright." Izumi said, jerking her thumb towards the kitchen door. "Just be sure to tell my boss that I'll be doing other things from now on. My shift resumes in half an hour."

***

It turned out that Izumi's first duty as Chikayasu's bodyguard was to clean his lodgings within Dragnor castle. 

"I may have been promoted and made a warrior again, but I don't see much of a change so far..." Izumi complained as she swept the floor. At least, she had her Espeon and Gardevoir helping her out as always. Gardevoir in particular, who, as a humanoid, could carry and use a broom and floor scrub just like Izumi did, was a very valuable asset that would save Izumi quite some time.

Soon, however, Izumi heard a voice calling out her name from the corridor.

"Izumi! Are you here?"

Izumi turned towards the doors to see none less than Nobunaga's Ransei-famous page, Mori Ranmaru, coming in. At least this time the water bucket was safely on the floor, with no danger of being dropped as the result of her surprise. "Lord Nagasada!"

The boy was stunned for a second, before he realized that Izumi had just called him by his adult name. He then smiled politely. "Ah, nobody calls me that... just call me Ranmaru. I prefer it."

 _No, it's Nobunaga who prefers it_ , Izumi thought to herself. "Lord Ranmaru." she corrected herself with a nod. "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?" She quickly brushed a hand over her hair in a useless attempt to adjust it.

"I've been looking all over for you." Ranmaru began. "I wish to apologize for this morning's incident, and to ask you a favor."

"No need to apologize!" Izumi said with a dismissive shrug. "You were just doing your job. And, I am at your service, Lord Nagas-- Ranmaru." Even though the pastel toned clothes he wore were best suited for a child, Ranmaru was still an adult, and the long-time servants at Dragnor Castle had told Izumi that there had actually been a coming-of-age ceremony for him, hence why Izumi knew of his adult name. To Izumi, having to call a grown man by a child's name was quite strange.

"Lord Nobunaga will be hosting a party tonight, and I am in charge of selecting the entertainers. I've read in Lord Chikayasu's reports that you're a performer of sorts...?"

Izumi lowered her head humbly. "Um... my Pokémon know a few dance routines, yes. And because everyone in the Chousokabe court seems to be trained in music, I've begun writing songs recently, though I've never performed them."

"Splendid!" Ranmaru exulted. "You'll perform them tonight for the first time, then! Can I count on you, Izumi?"

"Sure!" Izumi nodded. Seeing Ranmaru's smile, she found it impossible to not smile in return. It was a contagious, pretty smile.

"Then... after the servants' dinner, head immediately for the ceremony room and meet me there. Do you think you can get a little rehearsing done by then?"

"Probably, my Lord!" Izumi lied. She had so many chores to do, it wasn't likely that she and her Pokémon would be able to find time to rehearse.

"Good. I will see you there." Ranmaru turned his back on her and quickly walked to the door. The other peculiar thing about Ranmaru's smile was how quickly it would fade and turn into a cold, serious expression. Was it all just an act...? Had this adult in a child's clothes actually grown up way too fast alongside Nobunaga?

While Izumi thought of these things, she realized she was missing her chance to ask something important. "O-one last thing, Lord Ranmaru!"

"Yes?" Ranmaru looked at her, thick and silky black bangs whipping around his face. Izumi had to try her best not to be mesmerized by how lush and glossy Ranmaru's hair was.

"L-Lord Chikayasu just appointed me as his bodyguard. I've... never had that kind of job before. I really respect you, so I wanted to ask... Is there anything I need to know?"

Ranmaru shook his head, once again very serious. "It won't do if you just see it as a _job_. Being your Lord's bodyguard is a way of life. At all times, you and your Pokémon must be prepared to fight and die for his safety."

Izumi briefly looked at her Espeon and Gardevoir, who returned her gaze.

"So the first thing you have to do is lose your fear of death, by realizing that your life only matters and has meaning as long as you're using it to protect your Lord." Ranmaru sighed and turned on his heels again. "By your hesitation, I can tell that you haven't done so yet... so you should work on that, first and foremost. Is there anything else you wish to know?"

Izumi shook her head no.

"Then I take my leave. I'll see you later, as we've agreed."

Izumi nodded and watched Ranmaru disappear into the corridor. _It must be easy to lose your fear of death when you're already dead inside_ , she thought.

***

About an hour later, Izumi undid the towel covering her hair and used it to wipe sweat off her brow. "There! It looks like we did it, guys!" she said to her Gardevoir and Espeon. Indeed, the room was neat and sparkling clean, although there wasn't much Izumi had been able to do about Chikayasu's simple, traditional wooden furniture greatly clashing with the eccentric architecture of the room, shiny black flooring, dark walls and tall columns with unexpected, brightly colored accents.

"Alright! We're done here." Izumi announced as she took her bucket in one hand and her brooms in the other and walked towards the door. "Now let's go see what else Lord Chikayasu wants us to do." But before she could reach the exit, she heard a noise coming from the window behind her. "Uh?"

When she heard the unmistakable sound of shoes stepping onto the stone floor, Izumi spun around abruptly to face the newcomer. "Who's there?!" At her sides, her Gardevoir and Espeon got into their battle stances.

"Relax." A female ninja clad in dark blue from head to foot stepped forward, closely followed by her Crobat. Izumi recognized her instantly - it was Moku. "It's me. I'm here to hear about your progress."

Izumi squinted a little. "I'm sorry, _progress_...?"

Moku's voice dropped to a whisper as she stepped closer to Izumi. "Spying on the Oda. That's what you're doing, isn't it? It's why you defected to them."

Izumi took a step back, hesitating. "Uuuh..." Meanwhile, her two Psychic types stepped forward, ready to protect her.

"Izumi!" Moku spat. "Don't tell me...!"

"Yeah, well, the truth is..." Izumi's hand began scratching the back of her neck nervously. "I'm not spying on anybody, nor do I plan to. I've defected to the Oda, period. I work here in this castle now, and I kind of like it, too." Izumi finally admitted. She found she couldn't meet Moku's gaze. "Sorry to disappoint you, Moku. By the way, if you insist on staying here, I'm afraid I'll have to fight you. Since you're an enemy spy and all."

Baring her gritted teeth, Moku placed a hand on her hip. "Don't bother. I'm leaving." She turned on her heels and, her Crobat in tow, she walked back towards the window, without turning back to look at Izumi again. But she spoke again, in a much softer voice this time. "I just thought... I thought you were a better person that this, Izumi... I thought you could understand..."

Izumi gulped down a strangely heavy mouthful of air. "If it helps, Moku... I understand you now more than ever."

"Don't be ridiculous. If you've gone and joined Nobunaga's side despite knowing what he's done, it means you don't understand anything. Much less what I feel." Moku climbed effortlessly onto the windowsill and crouched on it, preparing to jump.

Izumi's fists clenched at her side, and she found she was fighting back tears. "H-hey... Stay the hell away from Dragnor Castle, alright? I don't want to have to fight you!"

A sigh came from Moku. "Pathetic." In a rustle of silk and a flap of leathery bat wings, she was gone.

Izumi's Pokémon gathered around her as she sank to her knees on the cold, black floor and started crying disconsolately.

***

"Good evening. My name is Izumi, and I'm from Illusio. I apologize if I may seem a little nervous, but I never thought I'd ever perform before such an illustrious audience. My song... well, this is a song I wrote myself. It's very simple, and a drum is all the accompaniment it needs."

"Ranmaru."

"... Ah... Really? Lord Ranmaru will play the drum to my song? Whoa! I mean... what an honor! I'll try my best to deserve it, I just never thought- "

"Just start singing already!"

"Alright, alright... Here goes...

_You can yell at me and blame me for problems that are yours and yours alone_  
 _Call me selfish, call me stupid, call me all the names you like_  
 _My mistakes are there for me to learn from them_  
 _Got them all archived and labeled; now, do you do the same?_

_Ah, even a windy day is too beautiful for you to spoil it for me_  
 _Life is just one night's dream, and I want to dream it smiling_  
 _Smiling and doing it all my own way_

_You can come to me and blame me for not being just like you_  
 _Call me callous, call me haughty, call me all the names you like_  
 _I've got a few good friends, and I'm so lucky to have them_  
 _They'll be there to help me even when I forget to do the same_

_Ah, even a cloudy day is too beautiful for you to spoil it for me_  
 _Life is a fleeting mirage, and I want to watch it smiling_  
 _Smiling and doing it all my own way_

_I know you look at me and wonder what's the secret to my life_  
 _Well, take a graveyard, take an orchard, just take any place you like_  
 _Stories are there, just close your eyes and hear them_  
 _You'll find their beginnings and endings are the same_

_Ah, even a rainy day is too beautiful for you to spoil it for me_  
 _Life is the blink of an eye, and I want to live it smiling_  
 _Smiling and doing it all my own way...."_

Haru and Gardevoir ended their dance with a bow, and Izumi signaled to Ranmaru that the song was finished and closed her eyes, falling silent. Contrary to her expectations, the distinguished guests of Dragnor Castle seemed to have liked her performance, cheering loudly and even clapping their hands.

"Thank you." Izumi said, bowing her head and smiling with her eyes still closed. When she raised her head again and opened her eyes, she was surprised to find Nobunaga himself staring darkly at her, sitting at a much closer distance than she remembered. Izumi let out a small gasp, fearing the Lord of Dragnor's hostility.

Instead, Nobunaga's features relaxed into a cold smirk. "Nobunaga has greatly enjoyed your song, Izumi."

Izumi meekly bowed her head again. The last thing she had expected to hear in her life was a compliment by Nobunaga. "Thank you, my Lord."

Ranmaru had left the drum a few moments before, and had joined Nobunaga's side with his usual, graceful swiftness. Izumi noticed that he sat at Nobunaga's left.

"What did you think of the song, Ran?" Nobunaga asked his page. Nobunaga was known to be hard to please, but he truly seemed to treasure Ranmaru's opinion on all things, whether serious or trivial.

"I humbly think I did well to choose Izumi as one of the performers." Ranmaru replied with a smile, looking at Nobunaga all the while, even when he mentioned Izumi's name. "I hadn't even heard this song, but this Ran finds it to be somewhat in agreement with Lord Nobunaga's philosophy of life."

Nobunaga laughed, a loud, dark sound. "Very well said, Ran." Ranmaru's smile widened as Nobunaga's laugh continued. The fearsome sound, like an earthquake or a thunder, had initially scared Izumi. But after a few moments of listening to it, Izumi found something about it that put her strangely at ease; it was the voice of a dark force of nature, chaotic only on the outside and actually imbued with a kind of secret, inscrutable wisdom, an indecipherable order.

The nightly celebration continued without any major incident, other than the fact that Izumi was surprised to be requested an encore. By the end of the night, a strange, silent understanding had formed between Izumi and Nobunaga. The conqueror appeared to be truly fond of her song, and it wasn't just because of the beautiful page playing the drum while Izumi sang.

Nobunaga finally announced that he would be retiring to sleep. With great relief of the servants, who had feared they would not get to go to bed until much later in the night, the lord of Dragnor dismissed the feast and disappeared along with Ranmaru.

Izumi was dutifully helping the servants clean up the room, when she heard someone clear their throat loudly behind her back.

"Ah-hem!"

Izumi, who was holding a pile of dirty dishes and was about to carry them into the kitchen, swiftly turned around. "Lord Chikayasu!"

With his arms folded over his chest, Chikayasu sighed. "As my bodyguard, you're supposed to follow me when I head to bed."

"Like Lord Nobunaga and Lord Ranmaru, I get it!" Izumi replied out loud, eliciting laughs with varying degrees of maliciousness from the other servants. "It's just that these people are my friends, and we were working together until this afternoon. I can't refuse to help them when all they want is to get to bed as early as possible."

Chikayasu blinked. "I will not dignify that reply with one of my own."

Izumi sighed. "I'm coming, Lord Chikayasu."

Moments later, Chikayasu and Izumi were walking down the dark hallways of Dragnor Castle, towards Chikayasu's lodgings. Izumi was pensive, and walked with her head down. Suddenly, the sound of their steps was drowned by voices and noise from outside.

"There seems to be some sort of commotion..." Chikayasu observed, which prompted Izumi to abandon her dark thoughts for a moment and listen closely to the sounds coming from outside the castle walls, all of them so unusual at that time of night. Voices, shouts, Pokémon cries, the subtle crackle of fire...

"It's probably some of your... _former colleagues_ , so _eager_ to get to bed _as early as possible_ that they've decided to take the celebration outside..." Chikayasu concluded with a patronizing, despondent sigh.

Izumi was about to politely call him out on his sarcasm, when they both passed by a window and saw, very clearly, that it was no group of drunkards breaching the quiet of the night. Both of them, and their Pokémon along with them, stopped to look outside.

An army of six warriors and their Pokémon stood before Dragnor Castle. High up in the air, two blue banners were raised which both Izumi and Chikayasu recognized instantly. The ice flower of the Akechi and the round azure and gold crest of the Chousokabe. And above the banners flew the Legendary Pokémon whose capture Izumi had assisted - Articuno and Lugia.

Izumi's eyes widened in terror, and her breathing stopped. The hour had finally come for her to face the music and answer for her mistakes...

By contrast, Chikayasu, at her side, seemed unfazed. He simply looked at the army, the banners and the flying Legendaries with a satisfied smirk, as if he had been waiting for them. "I didn't think they'd be here so soon... ah, Brother, Brother, it seems that Mitsuhide had something to teach you, after all... a lesson in promptness." he mused to himself, laughing lightly. It was not a laugh that Izumi liked.

Suddenly, the night was on fire, and the flames cast their orange glow over the faces of the six warriors, revealing their identities, all of which were known to Izumi. Motochika and Mitsuhide rode on Lugia and Articuno's backs, respectively. Below them were Motochika's sons Nobuchika and Morichika, Mitsuhide's cousin Hidemitsu and his retainer Toshimitsu. The small crowd of various Pokémon protecting the four warriors on foot entirely consisted of Ice or Water types: Samurott, Gyarados, Simipour, Lapras, Beartic, Walrein, Sealeo, Dewott, Glalie and more.

"Just... them...?" Izumi said to herself. 

The noises no longer came just from outside. The whole castle was alert, orders were being shouted, and those who could were changing from their light ceremony clothes into sturdy battle armors. Izumi could already hear Nobunaga and Ranmaru's voices as they made arrangements for the castle's defense.

She made a decision then, and turned to face her Gardevoir. "Gardevoir! Go to Ranmaru, and tell him to expect more attacks than the army attacking the castle from the front. One of them will be from Gracia - in spite of her father's warnings, she will not be able to stay away from the battlefield. Her Pokémon are Munna and Gothorita. Another will be from two guys called Raimundo and Matsubusa - they use strong Ground and Fire-type Pokémon, like Charizard and Rhyperior, and don't be intimidated by any foreign species they may turn out to have, any Water type will easily take care of them, although Matsubusa also has a Crobat. And a fourth attack from a ninja named Moku - she's been surveying the castle grounds all day. Her Pokémon are another Crobat and a Toxicroak. Can you remember all that? Wish Ranmaru good luck. Haru, you'll fight with me."

***

_The Incident at Dragnor Castle will be remembered as one of the most singular episodes of Ransei's recent history. A nightly surprise attack by combined Akechi and Chousokabe forces against the Oda, who were formally their allies, escalated into a full battle of epic proportions. The clash between Oda Nobunaga's Zekrom and Akechi Mitsuhide's Articuno was an outstanding fight that will be remembered for the ages. Chousokabe Motochika and Lugia began the battle by protecting Mitsuhide; by the time Nobunaga's Zekrom managed to take down the previously unknown Legendary Pokémon and was thus able to move on to Articuno, it was already very tired, which initially gave Mitsuhide the upper hand. There are many other details about this unusual battle that deserve to be mentioned and passed down; among them is its human casualty count of four, a small number in itself, but unusually high for a battle fought with even more than one Pokémon protecting each warrior._

_Killed in action were a female ninja by the name of Moku, a foreign merchant dealing in non-Ranseian Pokémon species by the name of Raimundo, and a peasant woman by the name of Izumi; all three were spies working for the secret Akechi-Chousokabe alliance, except for Izumi, who, about a month before the attack, defected to join the Oda side as a simple servant under the protection of Motochika's younger brother who had close connections to the Oda, Kousokabe Chikayasu (it should be mentioned that, in the immediate aftermath of the incident, the rest of the Chousokabe clan temporarily revoked Chikayasu's title of warrior). During the attack, Izumi recklessly disregarded all instructions from her superiors and walked into the fray, charging towards the Akechi, clad in a simple kimono and with her loyal Espeon as her only protection. Her body was lost in the flames that had been set around the castle that night, along with those of her two former colleagues who had stayed loyal to the Akechi-Chousokabe alliance and had launched surprise attacks away from the main castle entrance, both of them expertly fended off by Nobunaga's page, Mori Ranmaru, and his Pokémon Dragonair and Lucario._

_Also killed that night was the traitor Akechi himself, ultimately stricken down by Zekrom's Bolt Strike. Allegedly all saw the man fall from the sky along with his Articuno, though, once again - and this is a most strange coincidence -, his body has not been recovered, either. It is most strange, how the remnants of all four casualties have yet to be recovered even at the time of writing, that is, a month after the attack_

Just then, Motonari's Servine tugged at his sleeve, and the Warlord of Greenleaf was forced to stop his frantic writing, lifting his gaze from the paper scroll. "Yes? What is it, Servine?"

The snake-like Pokémon instructed Motonari to look at a scene taking place a few feet ahead of them and away from the tree under which they were sitting, in the castle gardens. A young peasant woman was asking Motonari's gardeners if she could buy some cooking herbs from them. There was an Espeon at her feet, and Motonari was close enough that her pleading words could reach his ears.

"I know that selling herbs to foreigners normally isn't your policy, but can you make an exception for once? You've heard that Lord Motochika has just regained control of Fontaine by defeating Hideyoshi's army there, right? Well, he'll be celebrating that tomorrow! And you know how he is - he never does things half-heartedly, so on top of that, he's getting married, too."

"He's getting married? Really? Who's the bride?" asked the gardeners.

"Um..." the woman seemed to have a moment's hesitation. Up stepped an unusually tall, gaunt and pale man, who had been standing behind her.

"Lady Mitsuhime. Mitsu is her name. She's the widow of a late retainer of Lord Motochika's."

"Right... _Mitsuhime_." At that, the woman with the Espeon put her hand to her mouth, as if to stifle a laugh. "But my point is, there's going to be a _huge_ celebration tomorrow, and the kitchens are pretty much empty, so I've been asked to find rare ingredients for the banquet. Pretty please? I just don't know who else to turn to besides you guys!"

The gardeners seemed unsure, and looked at each other. "We'd have to ask Lord Motonari..."

"Lord Motonari is invited, too!" The woman insisted. "It would be in his interest to help us out!"

The tall man sighed. "You just don't know how to bargain, do you? Here... if you sell those herbs to us at a good price, we will find a way to invite _you_ , not just your Lord, to the feast as well!"

A second woman had come for those herbs, with thick violet hair, a painted face and a Crobat at her side. "Idiots... those very same herbs grow all over Greenleaf in the fields just outside the castle. If only _some_ of us were willing to work harder, we wouldn't need to waste our time like this." She grumpily folded her arms over her chest.

"Shut up!" The woman with the Espeon said. "It's much faster to just buy them from the gardeners! If... if they are willing to sell them to us, of course!" She blushed a little, for apparently she had forgotten for a moment that they were still in the gardeners' presence.

Motonari sighed and looked at his Servine, then at the piece he had been writing. He rubbed the back of his neck pensively. "Ah... it looks like I'll have to rewrite a few things."


End file.
